Picture Perfect
by Kiva Taliana
Summary: Modern AU. Psychiatrist Arthur Pendragon takes on a new patient, Merlin Emrys, who is the victim of a brutal crime. Arthur's professional and personal life clash as the case in question was investigated by none other than DCS Uther Pendragon.
1. Chapter 1

**I was attemtping to write the next chapter of Refraction when I got distracted. This one kind of takes the place of Hostage Situation. But I will make sure I do a bit on my other stories as well, some of them have been a little neglected. **

Arthur parked his small car in the usual spot. They didn't have designated parking spaces at the small hospital, yet, day in day out, each person generally took the same space. Arthur had once wondered if there was a psychology behind psychologists doing such a thing, but then decided it probably wasn't worth the analysis.

Instead he gathered the files from the passenger seat, tucked them under his arm and picked up his plastic lunchbox and struggled out of the car, using his backside to shut the door behind him. The car locked with a merry little beep and Arthur wandered up the steps and into the building.

"That is so cute," Gwen said looking up, as he made a rather ungraceful entrance to the reception area. Arthur paused, by the desk, where Gwen, in her nurse's uniform, continued to type away on the computer.

"What is?" Arthur asked in confusion, while he wondered what tie he had put on this morning. He'd been in such a rush he hadn't bothered to look.

"The lunchbox," she said, pointing to the little Disney characters cavorting around on the front of the pink plastic. Arthur looked sheepish.

"I made the mistake of telling one of my father's colleagues I needed something to carry my lunch in. Morgana has a warped sense of humour, because damn thing is actually useful, while being thoroughly embarrassing. There's even a little thermos flask that fits in it, great for soup," Arthur said, while Gwen sniggered. He got his own back by carefully manoeuvring the file that was on the bottom of his pile onto the desk, with a minimum of spillage.

"Can you get that faxed over to the university for me? Just the top four sheets, the rest can be filed."

"Sure," Gwen said. "I've got your list of appointments, mainly outpatients, but you also have Freya today. She had a bad night though, so I've moved her to the afternoon, and juggled a bit because the medication probably won't wear off until later."

"How bad of a night?"

"She tried taking a swipe at Lancelot, and she got a bit aggressive but nothing too drastic."

Arthur nodded, "I can talk to her later, what's this one here?" He showed the sheet to Gwen and let her peer at the name in the first slot.

"Oh, yes, Gaius wants to speak to you about that first he said."

"Oh?"

"You've been given the new one," Nimueh's voice announced. Arthur looked up, raising his eyebrows. She had appeared from the staff room, the door tucked away behind the reception desk. Nimueh blocked the doorway, leaning against it in an overly casual fashion.

"You made that sound very ominous," Arthur said.

"Not really, he arrived last night. Gaius has all the information, but I do know one thing."

"Which you are obviously desperate to impart," Arthur said causing a flicker of irritation to cross her perfectly made up face. There was no other reason for her to be lingering around in such a manner, unless she had been waiting for Arthur to arrive. Gwen was of the same opinion, she shared a brief glance with Arthur, rolling her eyes before going back to the timetable she was working on.

"He's the one from that police investigation, one of the cases that your father investigated."

Arthur's eyes narrowed, which appeared to be a reaction that Nimueh wanted as her lips quirked into a smile. Satisfied by that, she eased herself from the casual position off the doorframe and left the reception, breezing across the hallway and up the stairs to her office. Arthur shared a longer glance with Gwen who shrugged.

"I only came on an hour ago, so no good asking me. Elena was on night duty."

"In that case, I'll drop all this stuff, including my lovely little lunchbox, in my office and go and see Gaius."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The door to Gaius' office was open, as it usually was. It was only ever closed, and locked, when Gaius wasn't in there. Arthur didn't even bother to knock, he just strolled in and the old man behind the desk looked up, peering at Arthur from over his glasses.

"What's my father trying to do now?"

The question was mostly rhetorical, since Gaius had only met Uther a handful of times, but Arthur felt like venting his feelings. Gaius raised his eyebrows and sat back, pausing from writing his notes. The computer on his desk sat to one side, turned off, he never used it, preferring to avoid using technology unless he really had to.

"Nothing, to my knowledge."

It was Arthur's turn to raise his eyebrows, which made Gaius sigh.

"Although he has phoned me about the new patient we have."

"Ah ha," Arthur said flopping into the nearby chair, and looking at Gaius on the other side of the desk. "Who has now become my patient. This could be another one of my father's schemes to make me consider a change of career."

"I think the whole medical school, psychology degree and PHD have really pointed out to him that you have no desire to join the police force."

"That doesn't stop him trying," Arthur said. "I know how disappointed he is in me."

Gaius gave Arthur a long steady look. "I think that might be an overgenerous interpretation of the issue."

"Don't start analysing me," Arthur warned him.

"Fine, but he knows you are successful at what you do, which I think is becoming enough for him."

"Still, I think he'd be far happier if I did more research work and less… actual work."

"I, for one, happen to like your actual work," Gaius said.

Arthur grinned. As compliments go it wasn't a bad one from his boss. He had been at the hospital for about five years, and liked it. Arthur wasn't budging for anyone, least of all his father. Despite the regularity with which Uther Pendragon tried to harass him over it.

"So, anyway, Nimueh was all, 'oohh Arthur's got the new one' when I came in."

"Yes, she was probably hoping for it as a way to further her career, it's got a high enough profile."

"Which is the reason you haven't given it to her?" Arthur asked.

Gaius picked up a thick looking file and passed it over to Arthur, who flipped it open and started to flick through. While Gaius also gave him a short summary of the information within it.

"Merlin Emrys, victim of a high profile crime, although they are currently trying to keep him anonymous. The latest case your father was dealing with."

"The sicko who kidnapped youths and kept them in some basement," Arthur said, grimacing as he came across some rather graphic photos. "Jesus!"

"The police have supplied some of their reports and scene of crime information. Merlin is the only surviving victim of the six they know about. He was found in the basement of an old farmhouse chained to the corpse of another victim. Two more were buried on the land, and the last two on a plot two miles away."

"I remember it being all over the news," Arthur said. "They just got the conviction didn't they?"

"Yes, although his lawyers are still trying to pick holes in it."

"Why?"

"They make money from it," Gaius said. "Especially since the main witness couldn't give evidence. Merlin's injuries were extensive, obvious signs of sexual and physical abuse, and major head injuries. The brain scans are a little inconclusive, he does appear to be functioning physically, he can walk, move when directed, but he's remaining in a catatonic stupor. He hasn't spoken since they found him."

"Are they of the opinion it's through the physical injury, or just emotional trauma?"

"Neither, I suppose they want us to try and find out. It's been three months since he was found, and they've got nothing from him. He spent two months in intensive care. He's still a little malnourished, and he had been given drugs while he was captive, presumably to keep him docile. There were so many other things to deal with they didn't even realise he had gone into withdrawal," Gaius said with some disapproval. "The hospital treating him said the bruising hid the needle marks."

"And the withdrawal was never treated?" Arthur asked, finding the relevant notes and reading them.

"No, by the time they had worked it out he had almost gone cold turkey, they were going to give him something mild when Merlin gave his only reaction. The report isn't clear but he either saw or felt the needle and he started screaming, and fighting. They were too frightened to give him anything after that."

"So he is capable of reacting?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, so more than likely he's so traumatized his mind can't cope, or…"

"Or he's chosen to withdraw, and doesn't show any signs of wanting to come out. All things considered…" Arthur flipped through to the forensic records of the location, and what had been recorded of Merlin's injuries. "… it wouldn't be hard to blame him. How long was he captive?"

"Five months. He was reported missing on 20 January, and they raided the farmhouse and found him on 28 June."

"Bloody hell! The injuries look consistent with the abuse being inflicted over that length of time."

"Yes."

Arthur flipped through a few more sheets and then looked up. "No offence, but his residency here has nothing to do with my father trying to set something up?"

"I don't think even your father is that underhand, although I believe we were recommended by him for Merlin's treatment. Whatever else you think, it appears your father does have belief in your abilities, and I most definitely do. Just looking at Freya is proof of that."

"She took a swipe at Lancelot last night though."

"She can't be perfect all of the time," Gaius said. "And it didn't take him and Elena long to calm her. Elena has a theory by the way, she was voicing her thoughts this morning."

"Really?"

Gaius looked mildly uncomfortable. "She's been tracking it for a few months, but apparently Freya's flare ups tend to be almost consistently the week before she menstruates."

"Schizophrenia driven PMT."

"If we can get her medication organised around it, we may be able to move her back as an outpatient, and try again."

"I'll talk to her parents again after I've seen her this afternoon," Arthur said. "I'll go and see my new pet project now."

Gaius gave Arthur a disapproving glare. "Even if your father has any ulterior motives, it's not Merlin's fault."

Arthur looked back down at the notes in his lap. "No," he said.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

He took the notes with him, the file was so thick it was going to take him a while to get through it, and he wanted to read it all. Before he started trying to make any connection with Merlin he wanted to know as much as possible. However, he still had an hour this morning to give his new patient a check-up and see how he was getting on.

Walking back through reception he smiled at Gwen, who was busy typing, faxing and answering the phone. Arthur checked his watch, it was now well after nine o'clock.

"Isn't Alice in today?"

"She said she was going to run late, but she shouldn't be much longer. Elena said she would hang around for an hour or so to help get the residents up until I could take over."

"Okay," Arthur said. He headed up the steps and turned right heading into the resident's area of the small hospital. The Camelot Annexe, as the small hospital was known, was an old Victorian house, and the main rooms had been converted into bedrooms for the residents, and downstairs the dining room and lounge were for their use as well. There were two further drawing rooms which had been set up as consultation rooms for Arthur and Vivian, who were the two main psychiatrists, with Gaius stepping in where necessary. The servants section of the house had become the offices and staff areas, with two bunkrooms on the top floor for the sometimes overworked staff to take naps.

Arthur liked the quiet little annexe. The main hospital was a mile down the road, but the old house was a perfect, quiet place that traumatized and mentally ill patients could stay in. There was only room for a dozen patients at maximum, but it was never always that full. It was merely a jump to get them back into the outside world, then they came back as outpatients, as and when they needed to.

Merlin had been given the room at the far end, overlooking a wide stretch of ground, comprising of the driveway and lawns. It was a bright sunny room, with windows on two sides, giving it a very airy feel. When Arthur arrived, Elena was making it even airier by chattering away in her usual fashion while she tided Merlin's hair. She gave Arthur a smile as he knocked his knuckles against the open door and stepped into the room.

"Hello," Elena said. "Merlin, this is Arthur, you'll like Arthur," she informed him brightly, "he's nice."

Arthur smiled, Elena grinned.

"We'd better finish getting you dressed!" Elena said. As she started to look in the chest of drawers for something for Merlin to wear, Arthur assessed his new patient. Merlin seemed oblivious to both of them, sitting quietly on the end of the bed, staring into the middle distance, his eyes unfocused and expression vacant. From the information Arthur had skimmed he knew Merlin was twenty-four, but he looked a good deal younger. He had been the oldest victim, but that could simply have been because his attacker hadn't realised his true age.

The skin of his torso was pale, his ribs and backbone more prominent than they should have been. Most of the damage had long ago faded but Arthur noted the rough skin around his wrists and neck where he had been restrained. There were other scars across his back and arms, some of them lash marks, and others cuts. The photographs had not been a pretty sight.

"Here we are, blue or red?" Elena asked, holding up two long-sleeved tee-shirts. "I think blue."

Merlin gave no response. Arthur waited and watched as Elena popped the tee-shirt over his head and moved his arms to dress him. Although Elena guided him most of the way, Arthur got the impression that Merlin was contributing to the movement, in just the slightest way. Elena waffled on about them having lasagne for lunch today, still managing a one sided conversation in a normal tone of voice, as if it was a perfectly logical thing to be doing.

Arthur assessed her as much as he did Merlin. She looked a tad tired, but most of the nurses did when on the night shift. Her hair was messy and tangled, but it often was, as if she couldn't quite get onto the right side of neatness. She was, however, a pretty girl with a nice figure, which considering the way she could eat and drink, was something of a miracle. Arthur guessed she either spent a good deal of her free time at the gym or she had the metabolism of an insect.

"There we go, Arthur's going to check you over now, and then Gwen will be up to look after you. You'll like Gwen too," Elena said.

"Is there anyone he won't like?" Arthur asked her, opening his medical kit to find what he wanted. Elena turned and stuck her tongue out at Arthur.

"Aside from the wicked witch."

Arthur sniggered. "Nimueh is a perfectly good psychiatrist."

"I never said she wasn't, she's just not a perfectly good person," Elena said.

Arthur shrugged and let that go, Elena tided Merlin's hair a little more and then petted his shoulder.

"I'll leave you with Arthur, I have to go home and get some sleep, but I'll be back later."

"Can you do me a favour before you go?" Arthur said. Elena paused a step or so away from him.

"Sure."

"Can you check Freya, see if she's stirring and let Gwen know so she can deal with her if she's awake."

"Yep, no worries. Did Gaius tell you my theory?"

"He did, it's a good possibility , I'll see what she says in the session this afternoon. It might mean she can get back home."

Elena beamed. "I'm not just a pretty face."

Arthur leaned forward to go nose to nose with her. "No, you're not."

"I'll tell you something else," Elena said, lowering her tone even more. Arthur raised his eyebrows, and she inclined her head a little. "He might look like he's not paying attention, but I don't think he's missing a thing."

Arthur straightened up and Elena sidled past him and out the door. He turned to look at Merlin, who was still sat quietly, unmoving from the position that Elena had left him in, staring straight ahead, hands folded in his lap. That was another thing about her one sided conversations, they were not just to fill the silence, they had purpose. In this case, she was trying to see if there was the merest reaction. He decided to catch her when she started her shift tonight, and get more out of her. Despite Nimueh's scathing complaints that Elena seemed to permanently suffer from 'severe blonde moments', she often proved herself to be intuitive and intelligent.

Arthur wasn't going to let that go do waste if he could help it.

"Okay, Merlin, I'm just going to give you a check up. I'm Dr Pendragon, which sounds really pretentious so everyone calls me Arthur. I'm going to be looking after you while you're staying here."

Merlin didn't appear to have given any reaction but when Arthur twisted round to get his stethoscope on turning back he was fairly certain that Merlin's head was tilted ever so slightly at a different angle, and although his eyes hadn't turned in Arthur's direction, Arthur felt a ripple down his spine that told him he was being watched.

"This is nothing to worry about," Arthur assured him.

He checked Merlin's heart, and breathing, both steady. His blood pressure was a little low, and he needed a good, nourishing diet. He also flashed a light into Merlin's eyes to check reaction. His pupils dilated normally, but Merlin didn't blink, and his eyes didn't move away. His reflexes were a little slow but Arthur didn't know if that was some neurological problem. He eased Merlin up into a standing position and coaxed him across the room to sit in the arm chair, again Merlin settled and his hands flopped into his lap. Apart from the fact he had moved compliantly Merlin gave no reaction. Arthur left him and sat in the wooden chair by the dressing table and flicked the notes open again to the brain scans.

There was a good deal of ambivalence between the scans that had been done. Arthur couldn't work out if parts of the brain were just not connecting any more, or they were working fine and Merlin was just locked away, possibly not even wanting to get out again. He glanced at his watch again, it was still an hour or so before his first appointment, so he had a bit of time with Merlin.

Next he looked at some of the other injuries that had been inflicted on Merlin. Pushing up his sleeve Arthur brushed his fingers over the rough skin that now marred his wrists. It was only because he was staring closely that he saw the faint tremor of tension run down Merlin's arm. Arthur kept Merlin's arm in his grip, but removed his fingers from the scarring.

"Sorry," Arthur said. "I'm sure we can find something to treat that. I guess the hospital didn't bother too much with things like that. Gwen will probably be able to come up with something, she's like an encyclopaedia when it comes to skin care."

Arthur eased the sleeve down over Merlin's forearm and put his hand down again in his lap. Glancing up Arthur couldn't see any particular change in Merlin's stature or expression, but he felt that Merlin had accepted the apology. Considering that he restrained himself from examining the similar marks that were around Merlin's neck.

"I'm sure we can find something to cover them up if you're not happy with them," Arthur said. Again there was still no reaction. A few seconds later Merlin blinked slowly, it was nothing more than reflex. Arthur tried to get Merlin to react to him but he either couldn't, or was ignoring his attempts.

In the end Arthur just sat back and instead read through Merlin's notes, highlighting sections where he needed to clarify facts. He didn't address Merlin too often, Arthur wasn't going to get any response, but he was of the same opinion as Elena. Merlin was aware. Arthur's gut instinct was telling him that at least part of Merlin's catatonic stupor was self-induced.

"I think we need to concentrate on your diet, you need to get some weight on you," Arthur commented, then frowned as he thought of something, and made another note. He carried on like that for a while, the silence in the room calm. Arthur had seen enough patients in odd states, so he wasn't disturbed by Merlin's stillness.

He stayed there until it was almost time for his next appointment, when he left Merlin in Gwen's care, with instructions for her to find out how willing Merlin was to eat voluntarily.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Very, if you help him," Gwen said later, while she, Elena and Arthur gathered in Gaius' office to discuss the situation with him. "I tried to get him to take the spoon and do it himself but he didn't. He let me feed him though, and ate everything I gave him. I got the feeling he didn't like the rice pudding much."

"We need to send a diet sheet up to the kitchens; he needs to get some weight on him," Arthur insisted.

"His prior medical reports indicate that he was always of a slight build," Gaius mused. "It might not be as big of an issue as it seems."

"I don't care," Arthur said. "He's clearly underweight, if he's willing to eat then we need to make that a priority."

Gaius nodded, wrote a note and then looked at Arthur over his glasses. "What do you think of his mental state?"

"I think he's very aware of his surroundings, but I can't fathom if there is a connection missing somewhere in his brain, so he can't link his higher reasoning with his basic functions to allow him to react, or if he's doing it himself."

"If he has maybe now he's unable to stop himself, and he can't break the cycle in his mind," Elena said.

"Maybe," Arthur replied. "I don't want to rule anything out, I've only spent one hour with him so far. I can try a few different things, and see how it goes. In the end it will depend on how willing Merlin is to try and help himself."

"What's your feeling on that?" Gaius asked.

"I don't know. From what background I can get, he was obviously intelligent, but his employment record is filled with low paid jobs, waiter, shop assistant, he didn't try for further education."

"You can't hold that against someone," Gwen said.

"I don't, the only relevance it has in here was how he might have been targeted, I just picked it out of the police information," Arthur said, flicking through the now very thumbed through file. "And it has no baring on what we are dealing with. The only problem is if he shows some progress then anyone involved in the trial might jump all over him. He could just end up taking two steps forward then running back ten."

"We can limit his involvement, and if his name gets released, we may also have a press issue as well." Gaius said.

"Great," Arthur said.

"One option was to move him somewhere with higher security, which seems a little excessive, we will have to be careful, but we know the visitors for the other residents and the outpatients don't get through to that part of the building. Anyone new arriving will just have to be checked."

"We can handle that," Elena said. Gwen nodded in agreement. Arthur diverted the subject.

"One a cheerier note, I've spoken to Freya and her parents. I'll come in on Saturday morning to sort getting her discharged. Even she seems to agree with Elena's idea, and her parents are keen to have her home again."

"I take it she's back as an outpatient?" Gaius said.

"Yes, when I see them Saturday I'll schedule in her first few appointments with her parents and have her medication ready, and we'll see how she goes this time."

"It's a good start," Gwen said. "She seemed really pleased."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how it goes," Arthur said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews those who liked the start of the story. For those that asked, no it's not slash. **

Arthur had Sunday off, so he did his usual thing and visited his mother for Sunday lunch. Igraine had called him on the Friday to check he was coming over and Arthur had said yes. The Saturday had been a good one, as he had organised Freya's discharge, her parents happy to be able to take her home. Arthur thought this time is was going to be for good.

As usual they brought a huge tin of chocolates for the staff and Arthur got his own smaller one. When they had done that the first time Arthur didn't have the heart to tell them that he didn't like chocolate. So he had taken the box home and given it to his mother. This time he did the same thing. Igraine had looked at the box as he handed it to her, along with the bouquet of flowers that he always brought, and said.

"Either you've done something terrible or one of your patients has been discharged."

"The second one," Arthur said contentedly.

He felt quite relaxed in his mother's kitchen, while he chopped and mixed the salad, and she prepared the fish. It was a relaxed atmosphere in his mother's home, sunlight streaming through the kitchen windows as they worked together.

"We can sit on the terrace, so you can go out and lay the table once you've done that."

"Yes, Mum," Arthur agreed placidly. Igraine gave him a sideways look before turned back to what she was doing. He knew the next question was coming, his mother had just been working her way up to it.

"So… how's your father?"

"Don't know," Arthur said with a shrug. "I haven't seen him recently."

Igraine turned to look at him properly, tilting her head as she regarded Arthur carefully, the sunlight glinting off her hair. There was no doubt where Arthur had inherited his features from. And quite possibly the stubborn streak where his father was concerned. Igraine raised her eyebrows and Arthur smiled shaking his head.

"I haven't," he protested, truthfully. "He's been busy, I've been busy, I've not even called him for two weeks, not even to leave a message."

"You can be as bad as him when it comes to work."

"Don't say that!"

"You've just turned thirty Arthur, you should be thinking about settling down, not just working all the time."

"I do not work all the time," Arthur told her. "I never miss one of my rostered days off, and even if I am on call I don't often get called in to deal with any emergencies."

"You've done a lot of research papers as well recently. That's work."

"And I fit the time to write them into my work schedule."

"Are you still going to your art class?"

"Every week, and when it comes to the portrait stuff we are doing soon I will get my own back by painting you."

"That's nice, sweetheart," Igraine said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "But you should also really talk to your father more. Now stop playing with that salad and go and lay the table."

"Yes, Mother," Arthur huffed. He walked around the kitchen counter and through the doorway into the dining room, he pulled out a drawer and extracted the table cloth before opening the French doors that led out onto the terrace and spread the material out on the table. He went back for the placemats and cutlery to set them out carefully. A minute later Igraine brought out the wine glasses and a bottle of white wine in an ice bucket.

"I presume you're staying over tonight," she said.

"Yes, my overnight bag is in the car."

She nodded, as she wandered back towards the kitchen she announced over her shoulder. "You really ought to think about getting a new car."

Arthur paused from fiddling with the cutlery and yelled back. "Why? What's wrong with my car?"

He felt a little offended by that. His little blue VW Beetle was not the most inspiring car in the world but he liked it.

"Nothing dear," Igraine said coming back with the salad, putting it in the centre of the table. "But maybe you need to get something a little more grown up."

She wandered off again, saying, "Light the candles dear, we don't want the flies bothering us."

Arthur stood there baffled for a moment before rummaging in one of the sideboard drawers for the matches and he wandered out to light the small t-lights that were set out along the stone wall that ran along the edge of the terrace.

"These things don't work you know," Arthur muttered. "And there's nothing wrong with my car, why do I need a grown up car? And what the hell is a grown up car anyway? Why can't a Beetle be a grown up car…?"

"Don't mutter, dear," Igraine reproved as she wandered out with the salad dressing and a bowl of new potatoes, steaming with heat. Arthur stopped muttering and finishing lighting the candles before pouring the wine and sitting down in his usual seat, enjoying the sunshine. A moment later Igraine came out carrying two plates both with salmon steaks and gracefully taking her seat.

Neither of them talked for a few minutes. The t-light candles didn't entirely affect the flies but put a faint trace of citronella into the air, combining with the drifting scent of the honeysuckle that was climbing up the trellis on the far side of the terrace. A few bumble bees were droning around the flowers. It felt very peaceful.

"You know if you want to know how dad is, you could call him," Arthur said, ruining the tranquillity.

Igraine gave him a disapproving look. "I hardly think so, dear."

"Why not?"

"You are his son, I'm his ex-wife, I think there is a slight difference, and I hardly think that would be the calmest of conversations. What about his 'friend'?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Mum, despite all rumours, I don't actually think he is sleeping with Morgana."

"She is very beautiful."

"So are you," Arthur told her, making her smile.

"And ambitious," Igraine added.

"That does not make a combination that equals her having an affair with dad."

"It wouldn't be an affair, he's not married."

"So, it could be argued that it's not your concern," Arthur said, getting a slightly disapproving glare. "And anyway, I don't think dad's interested, he still loves you."

"Hhuumm," Igraine said, in the usual non-committal fashion when confronted with that fact.

His parents divorce had not been the most amicable of situations, even though it really should have been. He couldn't honestly say he was very scarred by it, since it happened when he was fourteen, and he was kept out of most of it. Arthur got the feeling that his mother had simply waited until he was old enough to cope before telling Uther she wanted a divorce. The unfortunate backfire was Uther suddenly going over-possessive over 'his wife' and 'his son'.

Igraine had simply got bored of him never being home. Uther's career in the police force had kept him away as he continued to get promoted, and more and more involved. Igraine had handled that quite well, but eventually decided enough was enough. Arthur had never built up enough courage to ask her if she had actually brought up the divorce issue just to get his father's attention to try and pull him back from his career and the resulting fall-out and antagonism hadn't been intended. However, the end result of it had been the divorce. Igraine had found the house she was living in now and decorated it to her taste. Uther bought a flat in town, close to work and Arthur didn't find there was much difference in his life. Just a new bedroom and double the presents on Christmas and Birthdays.

"I am going to have to talk to him though," Arthur said. "He instigated a referral to the hospital for someone involved in an investigation."

"Oh?"

"That one that just got some more news coverage, the guy who kidnapped the six youths, I think he ended up with one of those 'Ripper' titles. One of the six survived, just."

"I remember seeing it, they kept the boy out of the reports thought."

Arthur nodded. "I just wonder if dad's doing another trick to try and get me to change my career."

"I hardly think your father would stoop to using someone who had been a victim of such a thing. Even he's not that underhand."

"Gaius said the same thing."

"Gaius is an intelligent man who is probably right," Igraine said. "Your father ought to admit defeat on that one, you are never going to join the police force."

"He thinks I should do more research, he looked disapproving when I told him I'd started that art class, I told him at least it wasn't Art College."

Igraine sniggered and speared some more fish on her fork eating it with delicate grace. She swallowed it before answering him.

"Yes, that really was an interesting situation, I actually thought he was going to explode at some point."

Arthur grinned.

"And you were probably doing it on purpose. I'm fairly certain you only said you wanted to go to Art College it so he'd be more accepting of the medical route."

"I was destined to be a psychiatrist," Arthur said.

"You could have taken up profiling I suppose," Igraine mused.

"No, I couldn't," Arthur said. "I didn't want to. I like my job, I'm good at it."

"If your father is referring people to you, then I presume he thinks you're good at what you do too."

"It would be nice if he told me sometimes. He just hints that there is more money in doing research and stuff like that."

"And money isn't the issue."

"Of course it's not," Arthur said.

"But that's only because you can safely say that," Igraine said helping herself to more salad. Arthur regarded her with mild irritation, his mother, sometimes, was just as good a psychologist as he was, only she hadn't gone through years of training. Except perhaps raising him, and dealing with Uther.

"Are you saying that having two very financially stable parents meant I never gave money a thought when it came to picking a career?" Arthur asked her.

"I'm glad you didn't," Igraine said.

"I do very well, I have my own flat, and car. I know you and dad supported me through university and my training but I was on my own after that."

"Sweetheart, I know, and neither of us resent that. You're in a very stable position now, free to choose whatever you want to do. It's just a shame you haven't settled down, with anyone."

Arthur gave her a narrow-eyed look. Igraine ate some salad and looked innocent.

"Stop that," Arthur ordered her.

"So, this afternoon, shall we go out? There are a few new films on."

"It's too nice a day to sit in a dark cinema. We could take a walk in the park and hire a boat. I can attempt to row us across the lake, and more than likely fail."

Igraine smiled. "Okay, let's clear up first. We can save the gateau for later on."

"Sounds good," Arthur said, finishing off his potatoes.

A while later, as they cleared up, Igraine said.

"So your new patient, do you think you can help him?"

"I don't know," Arthur said, staking plates. "But if I can't it won't be through lack of trying."

"Yes," Igraine drawled. "Trying is very much a Pendragon trait."

Arthur lobbed a limp bit of lettuce at her. "You're a Pendragon too, mum, and that was by choice."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"And I still didn't get an answer as to what car is a grown-up car," Arthur moaned to Merlin the next morning, as he gave him another check up and chatted about his weekend. "What's wrong with Beetles anyway? And I don't know why I'm so bothered. Well, I probably am because she's hinting at a people carrier that I can put all the expected grandchildren she wants into. I have to find someone to have them first, I guess."

Arthur unwrapped the blood pressure gauge from Merlin's arm, getting no reaction as he did so, but glancing up at his patient Arthur couldn't help but feel that he was getting a faint trace of amusement from Merlin. There was no obvious hint, his eyes were still staring off into the middle distance with no visible focus, his head wasn't even angled in Arthur's direction, and his expression certainly held no humour, but Arthur just had a sensation that Merlin was finding it mildly funny.

"Still, I'd better bite the bullet soon and phone my father. I wonder what he's dreamt up to nag me about."

"Who?" Elena's voice demanded.

Arthur turned, she was stood in the doorway, looking very bright eyed and a little bushy haired. It was escaping from the plait she had loosely wrapped it in, and the front sections were frizzy, sticking up in places. Although her uniform looked clean it also appeared as if she hadn't had time to iron it. Arthur grinned at her.

"You know, there is this great new invention called a hairbrush, Elena."

She gave him a mock glare and attempted to tidy her hair while holding a small packet in the same hand. In the end she gave up and held out the packet.

"Gwen got this over the weekend, in response to your request. She put the receipt in the petty cash and filled in one of the slips."

"Thanks," Arthur said, opening the cardboard packet and sliding the small oil bottle out.

"I read it, it does say it can reduce scars, so it might work."

"Worth a try. Is your iron broken?" he asked looking at the creases on her blue top. She pouted and whipped him around the ear with a piece of material that she was holding in her other hand.

"And I got this!" she held up the red material proudly. Arthur frowned as he looked at it.

"This is?"

"It's a neckerchief," she announced, straightening the material out and then folding it in half to make a triangle. She held it up to her neck.

"Merlin could wear it to hide the marks, if he wants to. It was this or buying some roll necks which, and Gwen agrees, is the most awful garment ever."

"I'm going to take your word for that. I can't say I've ever worn one, a neckerchief or a roll neck," Arthur mused.

They both looked at Merlin. There was no response, he just stared at the wall, blinking once.

"I thought the red would match the blue tee-shirt, and I got a blue one to match the red shirt."

"Wouldn't that be contrast rather than match?" Arthur said, getting a second whipping around the ear. She ignored Arthur in favour of Merlin, sitting on the bed and reaching round to put it on. Arthur waited, he had felt the ripple of tension as he had touched the scars on Merlin's wrists, he might feel the same about his neck. Arthur didn't want to overdo it and make Merlin too anxious. Instead he waited to see if there was any reaction, if Merlin didn't like it Arthur wanted to be able to realise it.

Merlin swallowed as the material brushed against his neck and Elena started to tie it.

"Keep it loose," Arthur advised.

"Yeah," Elena said fixing the knot and then fiddling with the material, setting it so it covered the scars, and also sat flatteringly around Merlin's neck. "See, that looks good."

Arthur was surprised. "It actually does, Merlin." Arthur reached up and tugged on the point of the neckerchief, so it was more central on Merlin's chest. Elena fiddled again and leant forward to look at Merlin.

"That's good," she said. "I'll bring in the blue one tomorrow Merlin."

She patted him on the shoulder and then winked at Arthur before getting up and going out. Arthur looked at the oil bottle in his hand and gently rolled up Merlin's sleeves to view the scars again. They were about an inch wide, running around the entire circumference of Merlin's wrists. He had to have been wearing the shackles for a long while, and they had been rusty, rubbing Merlin's skin raw.

"We can give this oil a try," Arthur said, holding Merlin's hand gently as he turned his arm to look at the scarring. He brushed his fingers over the rough skin again, and he felt the mild ripple of tension, but this time he stayed there gently brushing the damaged skin.

He turned Merlin's hand palm down and ran his thumb over the scars again.

"It's all right Merlin, let's see if we can just make it a little better," Arthur said. He released Merlin's hand for a moment to open the oil and then carefully poured a few drops onto Merlin's skin before picking his arm up again and carefully starting to massage the oil in. Arthur could see the muscles in Merlin's forearm tense up again, just a little. He carried on, and the tension appeared to ease, but that could, Arthur thought, Merlin just getting used to his touch.

"How's it going?" Elena asked, wandering back when Arthur was on Merlin's other wrist.

"Okay, we'll keep applying it every day and see what sort of result we get. Just on his wrists though, I think we'll leave his neck alone for now. What is my schedule like for the next few weeks?"

"Mainly busy, but you've got gaps."

"Can you see if Alice can juggle my time so I can get an hour a day with Merlin?"

"Okay," Elena said, then after a pause added. "That's more than usual,"

"I know, but I want to be very sure of what I am saying when his case is reviewed. And can you check up at the hospital for an appointment for another brain scan, just before the four month review?"

"I can," Elena said. "Part of the wanting to be sure?"

"Very," Arthur replied.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A week later Arthur parked up his un-grown-up car in his space. He still hadn't spoken to his father, and he knew he had to at some point, but he knew he'd get grilled about Merlin's condition, and he didn't want to speak to his father about it just yet. He was ambling across the car park carrying some papers, and his lunchbox when he saw the two people on the steps. He had passed them, giving them a vague smile on the way, when their demeanour registered. They looked to be hovering around, waiting to go into the building. His mind moved further on telling him he hadn't seen them before.

They couldn't be outpatients, Arthur didn't think they were expecting anyone new, and they had a look about them that didn't speak of simply being early for an appointment. He stopped on the steps and turned. The woman smiled at him again. She was older than the man, he looked to be mid-twenties, whereas she was in her forties.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

The man glowered at him, not in an unfriendly way, but Arthur was looked up and down with intensity. The woman smiled at him and waved vaguely at the building.

"I think we're a bit early for visiting hours."

Arthur's mind ticked. He could presume from that that they were here to visit one of the residents. Arthur knew all the people that visited the patients, all but one.

"Are you here to visit Merlin?"

The woman brightened at Merlin's name. "I'm Hunith, his mother," she held out her hand. Arthur went into a juggling act, shifting his pile of papers to his left arm, and putting his lunchbox in his left hand. The man looked at it in amusement. Arthur shook Hunith's hand.

"Oh, this is Will, he's a friend of Merlin's, his best friend."

"Hi," Arthur said, shaking Will's hand. Will pulled back as soon as possible, clearly only being polite for Hunith's sake.

"I'm Arthur, Merlin's doctor." Saying doctor, Arthur found, was better than psychiatrist. He waved his free hand in the direction of the door. "It's fine to come in, I can let you into the resident's wing and see if Merlin is up."

"I didn't want to put anyone to any trouble," Hunith said as she followed Arthur, Will tailing along behind them.

"No trouble," Arthur said. "We don't really have enough patients to worry about keeping exact visiting times. Lancelot, can you dump that in my office?"

Lancelot shrugged as Arthur put his files and lunchbox down on the reception desk.

"Sure," Lancelot said, smirking in the direction of the lunchbox.

"This is Hunith and Will, Merlin's mother and friend. This is Lancelot, one of our nurses."

"Hi," said Lancelot. "I think Elena has already got Merlin up."

In other words, she had spotted the two people and guessed the situation, aiming to have Merlin ready for whenever they came in. She really was not just a pretty face, in a moderately messy guise.

"Okay, I'll take them through."

"And you have Freya half an hour early today, she's got some interview thing later in the morning and asked to shift the appointment, but she didn't want to miss it."

"Okay," Arthur said, glancing at his watch. He could get Hunith and Will up to Merlin's room and then leave them to it. Elena would still be about on the wing getting the others up and ready for breakfast, so there was someone to hand if they needed anyone. They followed Arthur up the stairs, and he gave the usual talk as he went.

"We don't open the resident's area usually until after nine, although if you arrive earlier than that someone will let you through, you just need to sign in at reception. There's only a small team, so once most people get to know you they'll just let you though."

"What happens if they have a problem in the night, if they're locked in?" Will demanded.

"A nurse is always on duty on the floor, although it depends on how many residents we have at the time. There is a nurse's station just as you go in, but most of them tend to stay in an empty room. It's rare that anything happens though," Arthur said, which was the truth.

"How is Merlin?" Hunith asked. Arthur pushed the buttons on the keypad and opened the door, setting it so it wasn't locked, with him and Elena up there now, there was no point keeping it locked down.

"It's a little hard to tell, physically he's fine."

"The hospital said he was severely malnourished," Hunith said in concern.

"That's improving. He's still a little underweight but Merlin's eating well, although we are having to hand feed him."

"You make him sound like pigeon," Will sniped. Arthur turned to glance at him. So did Hunith.

"Will," she reproved.

"Sorry," he said, almost sounding it, but somehow not seeming to mean it. Arthur didn't think that aggression was really directed at him, but he'd wait and see.

"Merlin's in the end room, but let me just check he's ready, Elena?"

"Hello," Elena said. She appeared in the doorway of Vivian's room holding two sundresses, one pink and one pale blue.

"Is Merlin dressed?"

"Yep, he's all sorted, what do you think, should Vivian wear the pink or blue."

Arthur blinked and glanced beyond her to the pale, thin girl sat on the bed, wrapped in a dressing gown.

"Pink," Arthur said decisively. Elena beamed and turned to go back to Vivian, announcing to the other girl.

"I always like yellow myself, but they never seem to make yellow dresses, it's annoying." She went off waffling to Vivian who gave low murmured responses in return. Arthur left them to it and took Hunith and Will down to Merlin's room, the door was open and Elena had settled Merlin in the armchair, by one of the windows so he could look at the view. There was no guarantee that Merlin was even aware of the view but it was a nice enough gesture.

"Merlin, you've got visitors, your mum's here, and Will," Arthur said. He went in ahead of them, glanced over Merlin before moving aside to let Hunith in. She went bustling over to her son, taking his hand and leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. Arthur watched, wanting to see if Merlin gave even the merest response to his mother. He blinked slowly as she pulled back from him, but it was the only movement Merlin made. Hunith stood next him, hunched over as she kept holding his hand. Arthur turned, reaching for the chair by the dressing table, by the look of it Will had been thinking the same thing and gave Arthur a filthy look as he took the chair and put it close to Merlin so Hunith could sit next to him.

"Thank you," Hunith said, in a rather distracted tone, her eyes fixed on her son.

Will shuffled further into the room and sat on the end of the bed, his eyes locked on Merlin. Arthur backed up and watched the scene. Merlin gave neither of the visitors any sign that he knew they were there, but again, Arthur got the feeling that Merlin was aware.

"Has he not shown any sign of…" Hunith paused and thought about it. "…waking up?"

Arthur shook his head. "Not so far, but he's only been here just over a week and I think intensive care were more concerned with him physically. The next part is my job."

"What if you can't do anything?" Will asked belligerently.

"It won't be through want of trying," Arthur said, repeating the statement he made to his mother. "I am of the opinion he is aware of what is going on around him, but he's ceased to react to it."

"He still looks too thin," Hunith announced, idly tidying Merlin's hair and stroking his cheek.

"He is reacting to that need; although we need to literally put the food in his mouth he is eating it. I've nagged the hospital kitchens about what food I want sent down for him."

As Arthur explained he turned his head and looked out at the car coming down the driveway, the gravel crunching under the tyres. He recognised the vehicle immediately and the dark-haired girl who hopped out of the backseat.

"That's my early appointment," Arthur said. "I'll leave you for now, Elena is just down the hall, if you need anything then just call for her. I'll let her know."

"Thank you, Arthur," Hunith said, saying his name rather hesitantly. Arthur smiled at her and headed out of the door. He let Elena know, and Lancelot had also headed upstairs to help her out, and deliver breakfasts, which most residents took in their rooms, only using the dining room for lunch and dinner.

Arthur headed out of the wing and down the stairs. It would probably good for Merlin to see some familiar faces, and hopefully they could visit as often as possible. As he went down the stairs, Freya was perched on the reception desk talking to Alice. She was a retired nurse who happily helped them out by manning the desk, and keeping them as organised as possible. Freya looked up and beamed at him as he came down the stairs. She slipped of the desk, Alice caught the papers she had been resting on before they could slide to the floor and Freya bounded over to him waving a piece of paper.

"Look at this," she announced proudly to Arthur.

Arthur eventually managed to retrieve it from her to get a look at it. Freya started to tell him anyway, so he didn't really need the bit of paper.

"I'm going to college to start my 'A' levels in September. I've got my interview today, they rushed it through, since I'd been here for the last month and couldn't do it then. Cool or what."

"Yes, very," Arthur said, scanning the paper and raising his eyebrows. "You're taking psychology?"

"Of course, it will be easy" Freya said, sliding through the door as Arthur held it open for her, walking in the direction of his consultation room. Freya's mother hurried behind them, staying out of the conversation for a moment.

"Let's face it," Freya said bluntly as Arthur gave her a look of knowing surprise. "After shooting in and out of here over the last few years, I'm a bloody expert aren't I?" She wandered into his room and flopped down in her usual chair, while her mother bustled in after her. She paused and smiled at Arthur handing him a small packet.

"We bought this for you," she said before following her daughter. Arthur looked down at the packet of chocolates, and then looked up, smiling.

"Thank you, that's really nice."

And at the same time he wondered if Merlin liked chocolates.


	3. Chapter 3

**In response to Kat's comment. This is probably a mildly idealised version of what this sort of hospital would be like, more than it is reality. **

After talking to Freya, who was far more interested in talking about 'A' levels than how her new medication seemed to be working, Arthur went back into the resident's wing. Arthur didn't mind the conversation, at least it gave him the hint that she was looking forward, and not getting caught up in worrying about her illness. Almost the opposite, she just seemed to be taking it as a fact of her life and getting on with it. It was her parents that worried about the possible stigma of schizophrenia, if anyone at the college ever found out.

"Oh, please!" Freya had announced, rolling her eyes. "Most people just go 'wow cool', and if they don't like it they can piss off!"

Arthur's telling her off for swearing really wasn't very effective, since he happened to be laughing at the time.

He felt a little more serious as he went back up to check on how Hunith and Will were getting on. On entering the corridor he encountered Lancelot bringing down a stack of breakfast bowls on a tray, and a carton of soya milk.

"What's that for?" Arthur indicated to the carton.

"So Vivian can see it's soya milk, and be convinced we are not giving her full fat."

"Is she happier now?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, she even apologised to me."

Arthur shrugged and then looked down the corridor. Will was stood outside Merlin's room, kicking his left heel against the wall and shifting about uncomfortably. Lancelot glanced back to follow Arthur's gaze.

"Real Mr Congeniality he is," Lancelot commented. It wasn't like Lancelot to make any sort of disparaging comment, so Will must have really made an impression. Arthur shrugged.

"I got the feeling he didn't really want to come here."

"Hunith wanted to give Merlin his breakfast, so I left her to it," Lancelot added as Arthur held the door open so he could get out and head downstairs with the tray and Arthur strolled down the corridor towards Will, who looked up at his approach, and scowled a little. Arthur calculated the reaction and decided it wasn't anything particularly personal.

Will almost blocked the door as Arthur tried to check on Hunith and Merlin, but Arthur still got a glance in. Hunith was patiently giving Merlin cornflakes, and Merlin was, as he had been with anyone who fed him, opening his mouth and slowly chewing each mouthful. He chewed the same way he blinked, a steady movement that seemed like reflex but Arthur's gut instinct was telling him that sometimes it might be more. Arthur decided not to interrupt Hunith and instead turned to Will.

"Everything all right?"

Will hunched, shoving his hands into his pockets and hunching his shoulders.

"I just," he stopped talking and looked up at Arthur from under lowered brows, again the belligerence was there. Arthur repressed his smirk, Will didn't trust him because he was a psychiatrist. It was something Arthur was entirely used to, and stopped taking personally a long time ago. Arthur waited to see if Will would go any further. After a few seconds pause he did, still scuffing his feet on the worn carpet of the hallway.

"I can't be in there, it's just too weird."

"It's not easy," Arthur agreed with him.

"Fucking patronising," Will snapped at him, Arthur raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe, but it's also a fact. It's not easy if you knew Merlin before. I'm used to this, and don't know him personally. It's not going to be easy knowing Merlin and seeing him like this."

"Is he going to snap out of it," Will asked, sounding less angry and more plaintive. Arthur gave a slow shrug and sighed.

"I have no idea, the only job I have at the moment is working out if the problem is neurological or psychological. If it's something in Merlin's mind, simply the trauma, or a self-induced retreat into his mind then maybe. It might take his mind time to realise that the situation is over, and that he's safe."

"Will he just wake up?"

"He might, people snap out of catatonic stupors like that. Merlin could just wake up one morning, possibly having no idea where he is, or it could be a slow process. The fact of the matter is; I think he is aware of his surroundings in some way."

"Then he must know he's all right then and that bastard that did this is gone. I've told him enough times."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. There had been hints from the hospital that had been treating Merlin of a visitor being rather aggressive with him. Arthur wondered if that was Will. The incident had been smoothed over by the police called in to attend, who had been working on Merlin's case. Arthur guessed that would have been either Morgana or Gwaine, who were both tactful and tactless in their own special ways.

"It's not as simple as that," Arthur said. "Five months of sustained abuse is a lot to deal with, and many of the injuries were severe. I've read most of the reports."

"What if it's it the other thing, the neuro –wotsit?"

"Neurological," Arthur mused, rather than corrected, but got glowered at again. "That's a different matter entirely. If there is brain damage, and the fact is the head injuries Merlin had received were extensive, then the catatonia may be permanent."

"So, he won't get better."

"I said **may** be permanent," Arthur corrected. "The brain is a funny thing, it might manage to repair itself. I haven't got a conclusive enough brain scan, his case will be reviewed in four months, which is standard for a new resident. It just gives me time to assess what's going on, I'm going to get another scan done, see if I can work out if there is any change. But quite frankly, I think my first recommendation will be he stays here for the time being. I'm not sure Merlin's case is so simple that it can be worked out in four months."

Will stared at him. He blinked several times and then glanced about.

"It's…" Will paused again, eyes flickering and then he said. "I just can't… deal with him. It's not Merlin sat there. I didn't even want to come but Hunith did so I said I'd drive her."

Arthur shrugged and nodded, not sure how to answer that, but he was convinced that it wasn't actually what Will meant to say.

"What happens if he doesn't get better?"

"If he fails to show any response, or I find out it is neurological, then it may be necessary to consider another route of long term care," Arthur said.

"What, he can't just stay here?" Will asked looking panicked.

"It will be a while before that is considered," Arthur assured him. "But if it's long term, and the damage considered permanent then depending on the situation there are other care places that cater for full time residency, or he could be cared for at home."

"Hunith would go for that, but she can't do it on her own."

"There would certainly be support visits," Arthur said.

Will shrugged again. "I'll help, I don't mind, I've been doing some bits around the house and garden, but I just can't…" he tailed off and turned to glance into Merlin's room, almost glaring at Merlin as well. It certainly wasn't Merlin's fault, and Will's reaction probably wasn't his own fault. He didn't have anyone to take his anger at the situation out on, so the people around him got the brunt of it. Arthur didn't think there was any more he could really say. He placed his hand briefly on Will's shoulder as a gesture of reassurance, and so he could also push him out of the way and go into the room.

Hunith was giving Merlin the last of his breakfast, as she offered up the last spoonful Merlin's jaw dropped so she could put it in his mouth. Merlin took it and chewed, the movement of his jaw slow. A drop of milk trailed out of the corner of his mouth and Hunith reached up to wipe it off. Merlin paused chewing when she did but resumed eating as she finished dabbing and withdrew.

"Everything all right?" Arthur asked.

"Fine," Hunith said, her voice sounded like she was determined to make it fine. Merlin swallowed his mouthful and gazed into space. Hunith picked up the plastic cup that Lancelot had also left, with a straw in it. As she offered Merlin the straw he took it, swallowing some of the orange juice. Halfway through the cup he stopped.

"Don't you want any more, Merlin?" she asked him.

Merlin didn't react.

"I think that means he's had enough. We're taking it as such," Arthur said. Hunith glanced at the juice,

"Pineapple is his favourite anyway," she added.

"I can get that fixed," Arthur said. Hunith turned and smiled up at him.

"He's getting well looked after," she commented. Arthur took the cup off her and she resumed holding Merlin's hand. He blinked again and stared at the wall.

"He will be."

"Where did he get the scarf?" Hunith asked, smoothing down the blue material around Merlin's neck."

"That was Elena, there's some scarring around his neck and both her and Gwen decided that roll neck jumpers weren't the right thing for him."

"What does it matter? Merlin doesn't care?" Will snapped from the doorway. Arthur glanced at him but didn't react too much.

"I'm not entirely certain that's true," Arthur argued. "They are only the smallest of reactions, and could be nothing more than reflex but my instinct tells me he's aware."

"Is he ever going to recover?" Hunith asked. Arthur shrugged.

"I can't honestly answer that," Arthur said. "As I said to Will, my first job is to find out if this is mental trauma or physical damage."

"Yes, I heard you talking."

Will looked a little shamefaced, Arthur just nodded. How could she not hear them, it wasn't like she was involved in her own conversation. Hunith turned and reached up to stroke Merlin's cheek.

"I just don't understand how that man could do this, to any of those boys. Merlin's so gentle natured and sensitive. I knew something bad had happened, when he didn't come home from work, but the police said they couldn't do anything until he'd been missing 24 hours. Then all they could do was file a missing person's report."

"Then that smarmy git turned to up tell her that Merlin might have been taken by that bastard, and they were trying to find him. What's so bloody funny?" Will demanded.

Despite himself Arthur hadn't been able to help the smirk. "I presume by smarmy git you mean Detective Chief Superintendant Pendragon."

"Yeah, you know him?" Will asked.

"Somewhat," Arthur said evasively.

"He was the one that recommended that Merlin come here," Hunith said. "He said if anyone could help Merlin it was you."

"Nice of him to say so," Arthur mused cynically.

"You know him well then?" Hunith asked. Arthur shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm Dr Arthur Pendragon, his son."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur sat in his consultation room, reading some notes and eating his lunch when his mobile beeped, announcing he had a text. He frowned when he realised it was Lancelot, until he opened the text which said, 'here be dragons!'.

A minute later Uther strolled in without knocking. Arthur glared at him but he stood up and let his father hug him.

"I could have been with a patient."

"I knew you weren't, I checked with the receptionist. She told me you don't have an appointment until two."

Arthur tried not to roll his eyes and curse Alice's helpfulness. Instead he glanced past Uther to spot an impeccably dressed Morgana, who was politely keeping back while father and son greeted each other.

"I presume this is business," Arthur said retaking his seat. Uther took the one nearest Arthur and Morgana settled delicately on the chair by the window, glancing outside for a moment before looking back, grinning as she saw the lunchbox.

"You like the present?"

"Yes, it's very useful, thank you Morgana. Everyone also thinks it's very cute."

Morgana sniggered. Uther waited for the moment to settle before saying.

"I would have thought you'd have called me before now."

Arthur looked a little embarrassed. "I've been a little busy."

Uther didn't look as if he entirely believed that but let it go. Instead he started on the subject he wanted to talk about.

"This is a business call, how's Merlin Emrys?"

Arthur shrugged and gave his father a condensed version of his first impressions. Uther listened without interrupting. Morgana produced a notepad from her bag and jotted several things down.

"His mother came to visit today, and his friend Will," Arthur added.

"How was he, the friend?" Morgana asked, sitting back and crossing her legs.

"A little bit bolshy, but I don't think he's handling the situation very well."

Morgana raised her eyebrows.

"Was he the one involved in the incident in the hospital?" Arthur asked her.

She nodded, uncrossing her legs again. "Yes, the nurses found him shaking Mr Emrys rather violently, and he slapped him. He said he just wanted him to wake up."

"If only it was a simple as that," Arthur said. Morgana gave a light shrug.

"I managed to calm the situation but I don't think he went back."

"The only reason he came this time was to drive Merlin's mother over, she was worried about getting lost on the way. I have to say I don't think he'll be back here again," Arthur said. "I'll warn the staff though, just in case he does."

"I doubt he'll hurt Mr Emrys again," Morgana said.

"Better safe than sorry."

"Usually the best way," Uther said. "Have you any opinion on whether he will recover?"

Arthur shook his head. "I have no idea, he's been through such a horrific ordeal that if the problem is psychological it's going to take years to unravel."

"I would be helpful if you could find a way to get some information out of him. The evidence would be of some assistance."

"You got the guy convicted though, didn't you?"

"He still plans to appeal. Some of the evidence is circumstantial, and we have a couple of holes which the defence picked at, but at least the jury was on our side."

"And we did have a confession," Morgana stated.

"That sort of makes it cut and dried doesn't it?" Arthur asked. Uther shrugged irritably.

"It became inadmissible."

"Oh," Arthur said. He didn't really want to get into a conversation about the trial. Uther didn't either, instead he said.

"May we see him?"

"Sure," Arthur said, standing up eating the last of his sandwich. Morgana stood up, smoothing her already smooth pencil skirt and picking up her well coordinated bag. Arthur stared at her neat court shoes.

"How do you chase criminals in those shoes?"

Morgana smirked. "I get Gwaine to do it."

Arthur laughed and rolled his eyes. "It is his thing I suppose. Merlin should be in the day room."

Again, as they walked, Morgana stayed back a little way from the two men. It was as if she knew what the topic of conversation was going to be. Although it took a little while, it didn't surprise Arthur when, as they crossed the reception area, Uther asked.

"So, how is your mother?"

"Mum's fine, you could phone her and ask her yourself you know."

Arthur said the same thing every time. They always asked him how the other was, when they could just simply talk to each other. As far as Arthur knew they hadn't talked to each other since he left home, and there was no awkward changeover when his father used to pick him up to take him out. Over that time Arthur became very familiar with police stations and incident rooms. It was guaranteed that when he stayed with his father they'd end up there at some point.

Uther didn't comment on what Arthur said, he never did. Arthur opened the door to the resident's wing and held it open for Morgana to catch up to them.

"Thank you, Arthur," she said primly.

"Pleasure."

Arthur found Merlin in the day room. Lancelot had brought him down and sat him in a chair by the window. Vivian and Elena were in the room playing scrabble quietly at a table. They both smiled as Arthur came in, but turned away, when they saw Uther and Morgana with him. Arthur perched on the window sill by Merlin's chair and gently touched his shoulder.

"Merlin, the police are here, they've come to see you."

Uther brought a nearby chair closer and sat in it, reaching out to take Merlin's arm.

"Hello, Merlin. You're looking better now," Uther commented.

Merlin stared out at the view. Uther looked up at Arthur who shrugged.

"I'm convinced he is paying attention to what's happening around him."

"He just doesn't respond," Morgana said.

"Basically."

"Have you got him on any medication?" Uther asked.

"Not so far, the hospital did try the usual drugs for catatonia, but it's difficult since he had such a bad reaction to the needle that time."

"That's the only time he's ever shown any reaction?" Uther asked.

"Yes, but it backs up the theory that he's simply withdrawn, and doesn't want to interact. It could have just been a reflex reaction."

"The guy did say he liked them screaming," Morgana said, her tone low. Arthur was looking at Merlin as she spoke and he saw Merlin's throat move as he swallowed. Arthur reached out to grip Merlin's other arm.

"It's all right, Merlin," Arthur assured him. Then he glanced up at Morgana. "So it could have just been a memory reaction, connecting the needle with the trauma and that was his reaction. It could also be why he's retreated."

"To prevent himself from giving the reaction," Morgana said, staring at Merlin's with an intense gaze.

"And now he just can't get out," Arthur mused. He wondered if that was true, or if Merlin was simply of the opinion he was better off where he was. Merlin had spent five months being raped, brutalized, tortured and humiliated. It was not surprising he was avoiding the real world.

"If anyone can help him, Arthur, it's you, that's why I suggested he come here," Uther said. Arthur raised his eyebrows.

"Your confidence in me is overwhelming."

Uther looked at him levelly. "Maybe so, but it's not misplaced."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur sat on a bench in the grounds, enjoying the autumn sunshine and fresh air. There was his lunchbox on the bench next to him with his lunch, and also a plate containing Merlin's. Gwen had cut the sandwich up into pieces so Arthur could feed Merlin his lunch while he ate his own. As with everything he was given Merlin opened his mouth compliantly, chewing each mouthful in his methodical manner. They were both drinking pineapple juice. Merlin, naturally, through a straw.

That afternoon Arthur was scheduled to give a lecture at the nearby university, which meant he would be away for the rest of the day, and he didn't want to lose his time with Merlin. It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference but he was trying to keep to the schedule of seeing Merlin for an hour a day, and he had managed it for the last two weeks.

It had been, so far, a fruitless attempt. Merlin had failed to respond to anything. He just spent his days sat staring out of the window, moving when he was encouraged to do so but there had been nothing voluntary. Even Arthur wasn't sure what he could do for Merlin, except just keep at him, trying to encourage the pale, fragile man to react to him. He gave Merlin a bit more of his sandwich and went back to sketching.

He wanted to be relaxed before he started his lecture, and drawing was the best way to soothe himself. Arthur didn't think he was the best artist in the world, but he wasn't bad. He was attempting to draw a bumble bee on a flower. It was bobbing around on the nearby flower bed, and Arthur sketched the insect, concentrating on what he was doing as he tried to capture the form, and also flesh out the picture with the plant and some background. He became so absorbed in his task that he forgot Merlin for a moment, until the bee drifted off the flower. It hovered around in the air for a moment and Arthur frantically tried to get a good outline, before the bee headed off, flying past Merlin. Arthur glanced at Merlin, his eyes draw downwards as his eyes followed the path of the bee, and Arthur blinked in shock.

"Bloody hell," he murmured.

For a moment he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing as he stared at Merlin's lap and his right hand moving on his leg. Arthur glanced at his sketch pad and then back to Merlin's hand. He hardly dared move, he didn't even want to breathe and risk disturbing Merlin, who was performing his first voluntary movement, looking like he was drawing. Arthur glanced at his pad again and carefully lifted the sheet of paper he had been sketching on and flipped it over to expose a fresh sheet.

He kept his movements as slow and smooth as possible, again to avoid shocking Merlin back into stillness. Reaching over he carefully slid the pad onto Merlin's leg, easing it under his hand. At the touch Merlin's movement slowed.

"It's all right Merlin, do you want to try?"

Arthur carefully pressed the pencil into Merlin's hand. At the contact Merlin stopped. Arthur drew back and waited, the pencil quivering in Merlin's trembling hand.

"Come on Merlin," Arthur murmured. He could feel his heart pounding, and sweat prickled under his arms and down his back in anticipation of perhaps getting something, just anything, out of Merlin. Taking a further risk Arthur reached forward again and gently moved Merlin's hand, causing a line on the paper. Arthur exhaled lightly, giving a little gasp as Merlin's hand started to move. Arthur stopped breathing for a moment as he watched, praying that no one suddenly came out and disturbed them.

Arthur's eyes stayed fixed on the sheet of paper as Merlin's hand moved, forming lines on the bright white sheet. The sun was reflecting off it, making it seem even brighter. Arthur's eyes were starting to hurt as he stared. To give himself a rest he looked up at Merlin, who was still staring off into the distance. He wasn't staring at the paper as he worked, his hand appeared to be moving independently to the rest of him.

The tension seemed to be building in the air, but Arthur guessed that was all him. His eyes drifted towards the building, but there was no visible movement, no one was coming to bother them. Glancing down again Arthur tried to work out exactly what Merlin was drawing. The lines were rough, a little uncoordinated, but they appeared to be forming into something. Arthur couldn't quite get what it was, but he forced himself to wait while Merlin's hand worked.

His movement was gaining speed, as if Merlin's confidence in what he was doing was growing, and whatever was on his mind was forming into greater reality. Arthur bit down on his lower lip, chewing hard, he turned a fraction to stare at Merlin. Merlin wasn't even blinking now, his eyes looked fixed on the trees that flanked the driveway of the house. Arthur could hear the sound of traffic moving slowly along the road, and in the distance was the vague sound of an ambulance siren.

Five minutes or so passed, it seemed longer to Arthur as he watched and waited. He had to calm his feelings over and over again. This could be nothing more than a reflex reaction to what he was doing, Merlin was just following him, but again, it would be the first time he had done such a thing. Either way, he told himself, it was a response, giving him an indication that Merlin was aware of him, he was listening, but something in him just couldn't answer Arthur in a normal way.

Merlin's hand started to slow down, losing momentum until it eventually stopped. He was obviously done, his hand resting on the paper, the pencil tilting over as Merlin's grip on it relaxed. Arthur reached out and removed the pencil from the now inert man's grasp and gently lifted his hand so he could remove the sketch pad from Merlin's lap.

"It's okay Merlin, that's good," Arthur said gently. Merlin gazed unseeingly, almost as if he was unaware of even doing anything. Arthur looked at the sketch and frowned, wondering what on Earth he was looking at.

There was no doubt it was a picture. It had been made into a clear form and shape, the object squat, curving outwards towards its base, supported on three stubby, curling legs. Sprouting up from the shape was a chimney of sorts. There was some kind of grill on the front. Arthur eyed the picture, holding the pad up to assess what Merlin had drawn.

"Looks a bit like some sort of boiler," he said, both to himself and to Merlin. "Old fashioned looking though."

He turned to look at Merlin, wondering what it was actually meant to mean. Merlin blinked once, his chest was rising and falling his breathing a little heavier than usual, as if drawing the picture had been an exertion.

"I don't quite understand what you are trying to tell me," Arthur said gently. He looked back at the drawing, the dark shading that Merlin had done.

"I guess it's an old iron thing, like something you'd find in an old fashioned farmhouse kitchen."

Arthur closed his eyes and slowly opened them again, his heart clenching as he surmised that he had bashed the nail directly on the head. He looked at Merlin again. He had been found in an old farmhouse. There was no other connection he could think of. He stared at Merlin, and took a deep steadying breath.

"Merlin, is this from where they found you?"

Naturally, there was no answer. Merlin just stared off into space, not looking at anything around him. Arthur looked down at the picture again, the drawing that Merlin had made. He took the pencil and jotted down the date and time underneath the drawing, along with the vague notes of what the drawing might signify.

Arthur looked up again. Merlin sat as he was, as he always did, still and silent. Arthur studied his patient carefully, and took in the perhaps not so vacant gaze.

"Merlin, is this what you can see?"

Merlin's breath seemed to hitch, just a fraction, and Arthur could perhaps dismiss it as the sun being a little to strong, but he was quite convinced there were tears glimmering in Merlin's eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

As a consequence Arthur had not been entirely co-ordinated as he had wanted to be when he went off to do the lecture. He would have much rather stayed with Merlin, who had seemed to have taken just the smallest step forward. The students probably hadn't noticed, but his lecture seemed to lack something because of the distraction. Arthur poured over Merlin's notes again the next day, carefully photocopying the picture before he added it to the file he had started regarding Merlin's treatment. The original he intended to keep for himself.

Over the course of the next ten days, he got four more pictures out of Merlin. Which was when Arthur felt ready to tell someone else, so he told Gaius. Merlin had produced a picture that morning, which Gaius was looking at, along with the others, while Arthur tried to persuade Merlin to produce something else. He wasn't getting very far.

"I'm guessing it's a dragon," Gaius said eventually, looking at the neatly drawn wings and long neck. The dragon's head elegantly raised in the air.

"I thought the same, although I'm a little uncertain as to what he's trying to get at."

"Could be you," Gaius said, peering over his glasses watching Arthur crouched in front of Merlin.

Merlin was sat in the chair by the window of Arthur's consultation room. The sketch pad was on his lap, and Arthur was trying to encourage Merlin to grip the pencil, but his hand remained slack and unresponsive.

"Don't you want to try another, Merlin?" Arthur asked, and then he glanced at Gaius. "What do you mean me?"

"You are a Pendragon, maybe the word has just settled with him," Gaius said.

"I only mentioned my surname once, well also to his mother while she was with him. It could also mean my father. No, you're not going to are you, Merlin?"

Arthur took the pad and pencil away, putting them on the floor and he gently took Merlin's hand.

"Perhaps he doesn't want to do it with me around," Gaius said. "You're the one who has spent most time with him. The rapport is yours."

"What little there is of it," Arthur said.

"I'm sorry," Gaius drawled sarcastically. "At what point did you decide to delude yourself that this would be easy?"

"Point taken," Arthur said.

"The fact that he is willing to do this, even if it is only for you, is a good sign of progress. I think we can begin to rule out neurological problems."

"Not necessarily," Arthur said. "Maybe this is the only way he can translate what's on his mind. What do you make of the other pictures?"

"I'm not entirely certain of this one," Gaius said, holding the relevant picture up. Arthur nodded.

"I've been guessing it's a landscape, but it's hard to work out, it looks distorted."

"It could be it was when Merlin saw it, plus if it's a memory it might not be clear in his mind. These three others are quite similar, is that some kind of old fashioned stove he's drawing?"

"That was my conclusion. I did a bit of a web search for something similar to it but I didn't really get anywhere. Certainly not as to where it might actually be located. The only conclusion I can come to is it being part of something where Merlin was held."

"Could be the scenery is the same thing," Gaius said. "Which would make this one a little anomalous."

Gaius held up the drawing of the dragon. "This one is also a lot clearer, as if he's seeing this better in his mind. So I'd conclude this has no connection with these three of the stove and the landscape. He drew the dragon this morning?"

"Yeah, I'm hoping that perhaps his mother could shed some light on them."

"She's coming in this afternoon, isn't she?"

Arthur nodded. "She phoned yesterday and spoke to Gwen to check up on him, and ask if it was all right to come in. I'm presuming Will isn't coming this time. Gwen told her she didn't need to phone in advance."

Gaius nodded, his gaze drifting back to the pictures.

"If you want to know if these are anything to do with what happened to him, you have no option but to speak to your father. He'll know what was at the scene."

"Unfortunately, yes," Arthur said. "But I don't want to put that kind of pressure on Merlin. If my father starts taking an interest he might just end up pushing Merlin back. And that oil seems to be working on his scars," Arthur added as he eased Merlin's sleeve up. This time Arthur didn't feel any tension in Merlin as he examined the damage. Arthur glanced up at Merlin, whose eyes were fixed on the nearby shelves.

"I don't suppose you could ask anyone else," Gaius suggested.

"Running it past Morgana might be an option, she would be the next in line to go to, but then again, she may feel it's necessary to tell dad, and again, I don't want too much interference from him. Gwaine might be easier to deal with but again, he answers to my father, and Morgana."

"You will have to tell them at some point."

"Hopefully not for the time being. I know my father wants some kind of clear proof from Merlin, but he's not able to really do that. All we are getting at the moment are threads of things in his mind."

"One thing in particular Arthur, this picture. He's drawn this object three times, whatever it means, it is of significance. You probably need to try and encourage him to expand on that particular thing."

Arthur nodded, his eyes fixed on Merlin. He looked better now, he had put on weight, his hair was regaining some shine and his skin looked brighter. It was just trying to reach his mind that was proving difficult.

Arthur just couldn't figure out what Merlin was trying to tell him. He needed to speak to someone who knew him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Alice made sure that Arthur's afternoon had a clear spot so he had time to head up to Merlin's room to speak to Hunith. She and Merlin were settled in a similar way to the last time she had visited, with Merlin in the comfortable chair by the window and Hunith had moved the other chair close to him, so she could hold his hand, one of his gathered up in both of hers. She was chatting away, telling him about the house, and Will, and their attempts to wallpaper the hallway. There was a sliver of desperation to her voice, as she just kept talking in the hope that Merlin would give some reaction. If he didn't do it for any other reason, Arthur wanted to tell her about Merlin's drawings just to reassure her that Merlin was still in there.

"I've brought you some tea," Arthur said as he knocked on the doorframe. Hunith looked up and smiled. Arthur had a tray with two cups and a carton of pineapple juice. He put it down on the dressing table and handed Hunith her cup and jammed the straw into the top of the carton.

"I'll do that," Hunith said. Arthur passed it over without a word and watched as Hunith got the straw into Merlin's mouth. He automatically started to suck for a few seconds, paused and then drank again. Then he stopped.

"I see you got pineapple," she said removing the straw from Merlin's mouth.

"Yeah, well if we know there's a preference then we try to cater for it."

"Has he been all right?"

"He's eating fine, physically he's healthy."

"It's just his mind," Hunith said sadly gently brushing her fingers through Merlin's hair.

"Can I ask…" Arthur started, sitting himself down on the end of the bed. Hunith paused fiddling and turned to look at him. "… did Merlin do any sort of art? As a hobby, or anything like that?"

"Quite a bit, he always liked to draw, and he had piano lessons every week. He was always drawing cartoons when he was little. One of our neighbours has a piano so Merlin does jobs for her in return for borrowing her piano to practice. I think she'd just actually let him without him helping her out but Merlin thinks he ought to do something."

Arthur nodded, and reaching over picked up the sketch pad that he had brought up with him on the tray.

"I haven't told anyone but Gaius about this, but Merlin started the middle of last week. I draw a bit myself and I was sat with him in the grounds when he did this."

Arthur handed her the first picture, Hunith's eyes widened in shock as she stared at it. She looked up at Arthur in amazement.

"Merlin did this?"

"There wasn't any other reaction," Arthur said, not wanting to get her hopes up too high. "But his hand just started moving. I wasn't sure if it was a response to what I was doing. But he's done these as well when I put the pencil in his hand. He hasn't responded every time I've tried. This thing here he's drawn three times, do you have any idea what it means?"

Arthur held out the other two similar pictures. Hunith fanned out the three sheets of paper, putting them in her lap to assess them. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the strange squat object that her son had drawn. Very slowly she shook her head.

"It's not anything I've seen before, what is it? Some kind of stove or…" she trailed off and lifted a sheet up to assess the picture.

"We think so, something old fashioned, but we're not sure what it means," Arthur said. "Then there were these two. Again, I've got no idea what he's trying to say. That one he did yesterday morning."

He put the picture of the dragon on top of the small pile. Hunith blinked, sitting back in the chair and her face brightened.

"That's Kilgharrah!"

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked.

Hunith looked up at him, a smile now lighting up her face. "It's an old toy that Merlin has. I'm not entirely certain how he came up with the name, but I bought it for Merlin one Christmas. He saw in the shop two or so months before, he just stared at it for ages. I think he fell in love with it the moment he saw it. He was only five at the time. I couldn't really afford it, money wasn't that plentiful but I managed to persuade the shop manager to hold onto it for me, and just kept bringing in the money in instalments, so I managed to get it for him. I think I paid the last of it off in January, but the shopkeeper let me have it for Christmas."

Arthur smiled. It wasn't a situation he was entirely familiar with. Both of his parents were well off financially, their respective families leaving each of them with enough inheritance to keep themselves without having to worry too much. Plus his father's career meant that he could certainly provide for his family. He didn't comment; he just listened to Hunith talk.

"Merlin was so happy with it, he hasn't ever parted with it. If we ever have a clear out, we sometimes take things to car boot sales and things like that, he'd never even consider getting rid of it. It's his most prized possession."

"He drew it yesterday," Arthur said, reading the notes he had made at the bottom of the sheet, the date and time written on there so he could refer back when he needed to. "It was after I told him you'd phoned and that you were going to come tomorrow."

Hunith nodded and looked around the room. It was neat and tidy, furnished well enough, but aside from the clothes in the wardrobe, there wasn't much of it that belonged to Merlin.

"I could bring it for him, next time, if that's all right?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes, of course, just bring anything you think he might need, or want. The other residents do the same. If that's the case, then it means he is listening to us, if he wanted you to bring it."

Both of them looked at Merlin. Arthur glanced at his right hand, but it wasn't moving. There was usually a flicker of something before Arthur tried to put the pencil in his hand, but now Merlin was relaxed, his body in it's usual compliant state. He had said what he wanted to say for now. Hunith smiled, holding Merlin's hand again as Arthur retrieved the pictures and stacked them in a pile, then producing a pencil he wrote, 'Kilgharrah, Merlin's favourite toy' at the bottom of the picture of the dragon.

"Is that right Merlin, you want me to bring Kilgharrah?" Hunith asked.

Arthur watched, for any sign of tension, just even the slightest flicker, but Merlin gave nothing, but Arthur felt that Merlin was content with what he had achieved, if he got his favourite toy.

"So, Merlin's into that sort of thing is he? Dragons and creatures."

"Yeah, he was always reading about myths and legends, all the sort of Greek stories and things like that. Most of his cartoons he drew were based on things like that."

"Does he still have them?" Arthur asked. Hunith frowned.

"A few I think, but I think Will has most of them. I could ask him for them."

Arthur shook his head, "no, that's all right, Will probably wants to hold onto them. I'm surprised he didn't take Kilgharrah then."

"Oh no, he wouldn't do that, even when they were children Will knew better than to be over zealous with that toy. He was always a bit brutal with his own things but if they played with the dragon, they were always careful. I don't think I ever topped that present. It was the only one I could afford that year, I made do with chocolate to make up for it. Not that Merlin minded."

Arthur smiled. "I have discovered the fondness of chocolates. Some of the patients bring in things like that, especially Freya, I haven't ever plucked up the courage to tell anyone I don't like them. My mother always knows when someone has made progress because I always take them for her. Although I gave the last lot to Merlin, he seemed very disappointed when he got to the last one."

"I have no idea where he puts it all," Hunith said.

"On that score I didn't think a few chocolates would do Merlin any harm. He has put on a little weight."

"He is looking better, I don't think they really gave him much attention at the hospital."

"We aren't as stretched as they are, although keeping things calm and quiet here is part of the recovery."

"Yes, I'm glad your father recommended you."

Arthur smiled, and then frowned, glancing at Merlin and then looked back to Hunith.

"Can I ask about Merlin's father?"

"Oh!" Hunith said in surprise. "Yes, well, there isn't really a great deal to tell. We were only together a very short time, eighteen months or so."

"By modern standards that's not too bad," Arthur mused.

"He never even knew I was pregnant. When he left I didn't know I was pregnant, and I had no way to tell him."

"If you don't mind my being rather personal, what happened, why did he leave?"

"It's not that personal, I think he was in some sort of trouble, he never really talked about his past, actually he avoided it. Then one day he just disappeared, he left me a letter saying he had to go and it was best that I didn't know where. I did talk to the police, made enquires about missing persons, but it never came to anything. Then a few weeks later, I discovered I was pregnant. That was it really."

"You never tried to find him?"

Hunith shook her head, "I didn't know where to start, and I had my hands full with Merlin. At the time I had a job cleaning houses, nobody ever seemed to mind if I brought Merlin with me, he was such a happy little boy. He stayed like that."

"He sounds better than I was. From the way my mother talks sometimes I was quite a horrible child. Did Merlin never want to go to university or anything?"

Hunith shook her head. "Again it was just money, he was always trying to earn money to help me out, so he took all those jobs, just anything he could find. He didn't really need to, and I wish he hadn't. That was how that man found him; he trawled cafes and shops looking for what he wanted. And he found Merlin."

Arthur nodded. "I read some of that."

"I went to some of the trial, I couldn't stand it all, but just listening to what he had done, it was awful."

"It couldn't have been easy," Arthur said. "I don't think I could have sat there."

"I had to," Hunith said determination seeping into her voice. "For Merlin."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sunday night, Arthur couldn't sleep. His mother had sensed his distracted feelings all day, but aside from asking him several times if he was all right, she left it alone. Arthur knew he needed to tell his father something, for Merlin's sake if nothing else. But he had to do it in a way that would keep his father away from Merlin. He didn't think Uther would really push the issue, but he did like getting results. So did Arthur, but he had more patience. It was clearly a trait that he had inherited from his mother.

Tomorrow was a fresh morning. He could phone his father, inform him, and also try and encourage his father to keep his distance for the time being. Maybe he should phone Morgana, she could put it to Uther in practical terms.

Arthur had to admit he was a little frustrated. Merlin hadn't drawn anything else since his sketch of Kilgharrah, and Hunith had brought the plastic dragon in the next day, so it now sat on the dressing table in Merlin's room. The scales along the toy's flank were worn, his colour fading in patches where he had been held while Merlin played with him. Arthur had noticed that Merlin's eyes, although still vacant, were often trained in the direction of the dragon. Arthur had tried using it to get a response from Merlin, but Merlin just seemed content to have it there as something to look at. That again brought Arthur back to the three drawings of one object. Was Merlin trying to drive that image away with an item that held good memories?

If only he had a way of finding out.

He was so deep in through that he didn't even hear the phone for a moment. It rang in it's usual way, and loudly. He liked the phone to make an actual ringing sound, and Elena had found one that sounded like an old-fashioned style phone. Arthur liked it, it meant he heard it. This time he didn't until it was too late, it rang off and presumably went to his voicemail. Arthur fumbled for it on the bedside cabinet and flipped it open registering the fact that it was almost four in the morning. Then he started to flip through to find out who the hell had called him at such an obscene time.

In the room next door he could hear the familiar creak of the bed and floorboards as his mother got up. She had heard the phone, and his failure to react to it. Arthur almost got as far as the call logs before whoever it was tried again, not having the patience to leave a message.

Lancelot's name flashed up on the little screen and Arthur answered it before it had a chance to make any further noise.

"What's up?"

There was no other reason for Lancelot to be ringing him, other than an emergency. Arthur wasn't on call tonight, Nimueh was, so there was only one possible reason that Lancelot would bypass her to talk to Arthur.

"Sweetheart, what's going on?" Igraine asked as she opened the door. "You're not on call."

Arthur held up his hand and tuned her out, as Lancelot's breathless, slightly panicked tone filled his head.

"Sorry Arthur, I have no idea what to do, Merlin is going crazy."

Arthur had already got out of bed at the apology, by Merlin's name he was half dressed.

"What do you mean crazy?" Arthur demanded, but the background noise was already giving him a hint.

"He is screaming the place down. He kicked off about ten minutes ago, probably not even that. Normally we'd sedate in an incident like this, but we haven't been giving him any meds because of that panic he had about the drip they tried to give him in intensive care. Do I just dose him or what?"

Arthur was stumbling to the door, yanking on his coat as he went, struggling to find his trainers. Igraine retrieved them and handed them to him without a word.

"Is he all right, aside from the screaming?" Arthur said, shooting his mother an apologetic look, while attempting to hold the phone and jam his feet into his shoes.

"He's flailing a little, but Elena's got hold of him, I'm going to have to give her a hand in a minute, what do we do with him?"

"Keep hold of him and hang on, I'm on my way."

Arthur hung up and hugged his mother. "Sorry mum, emergency, got to go. I'll call you when the hour gets reasonable."

"Drive carefully!" she yelled at him as he ran down the stairs, a moment later he thundered back up swearing under his breath, he grabbed something from his room, ran past Igraine, pausing to kiss her on the cheek and then tore off again.

His car might not have been grown up, but when Arthur put his foot down it always obliged him and got a move on. He probably didn't drive as carefully as Igraine would have liked, but he got to the Camelot annexe in fifteen minutes, and one piece, and went tearing in. As he started up the stairs, he could hear Merlin, who sounded terrified.

The rest of the residents had been woken. Fortunately there were only seven of them and Elena was carefully calming them down as Arthur ran past them, fell into Merlin's room and stopped dead. Lancelot had him pinned to the bed, and didn't have any trouble holding him. He was well-muscled and fit. Merlin didn't have the strength, or co-ordination to fight him. It didn't look like that was what he was doing anyway. Merlin looked to be struggling against something that no one else could see. Lancelot wasn't even in the equation.

Arthur went to the bed and gently took Merlin's shoulders, lifting him and making Lancelot relinquish his hold. Arthur sat Merlin up and pulled him tightly to his side. Merlin shrieked again, almost directly into his ear. His body was rigid with tension.

"Damn! I'm on the wrong side!" Arthur snapped, shifting Merlin on the bed, and putting himself on Merlin's left side, Merlin needed his right free.

"Pass me that!" Arthur ordered once he had organised himself and Merlin, pinning the lighter man to his side, so he couldn't hurt himself. Confused Lancelot did as he was told and gave Arthur the sketch pad, Arthur flipped it open to a clean page and waved frantically for Lancelot to give him the pencil.

"Come on!" he snapped. Lancelot got it to him and Arthur pressed it into Merlin's hand, getting it to the paper. For a moment Merlin did nothing, he gripped the pencil, and just carried on screaming. His eyes were wide with shock and fear, but they remained unseeing of anything in the room. Whatever was unsettling him was nothing within the vicinity. Arthur clung onto him and kept Merlin's right hand in place, over the sheet of paper.

"Come on, Merlin just tell me what it is, as best you can," Arthur told him. "Whatever you can see, it's not here, you're safe with me, but you need to tell me." 

Merlin's hand moved in his grip and Arthur let him go. As Merlin started to draw he screamed for a while longer, then it reduced itself to whimpers, tears had started to roll down his face, but his hand kept moving. Arthur held Merlin, wrapping an arm around him, using his body to keep Merlin's left arm under control, and he talked gently, trying to calm him down while encouraging him to keep drawing. Lancelot watched the proceedings from the end of the bed. Elena stood in the doorway her eyes as wide as saucers.

Arthur glanced down, trying to see what was forming on the page, but Merlin's fast moving hand made it almost impossible to see. Lancelot shifted on the bed, tilting his head as he looked at the paper.

Everyone stayed absolutely still, the only thing moving was Merlin's hand, now he had started he seemed determined to keep going. Arthur kept his tone low and reassuring, but continually drove Merlin on, trying to keep him going to get a clear enough picture of what had set him off.

"What is that?" Lancelot asked, still trying to see. Arthur stopped looking, he'd have time to assess it once Merlin was done. Elena disappeared again, shooing the rest of the residents to bed, assuring them that everything was fine, and that Arthur would deal with it. Arthur was vaguely aware of someone crying. He caught a glimpse of two blonde heads as Elena led Vivian away talking to her in a similar soothing fashion to the one that Arthur was using on Merlin.

After a few minutes Merlin's hand started to lose momentum, the drawing almost complete. Lancelot watched in fascination.

"How did you know he'd do that?" he asked Arthur in a whisper.

"I couldn't be certain, but he started this a couple of weeks ago, drawing things. That day I was out in the garden with him and I was sketching."

"Does anyone else know?" Lancelot asked in a mildly accusing fashion.

"Gaius and Hunith. I didn't want to say too much because I'm not sure quite what to make of it yet."

"Maybe it's what caused this," Lancelot said. "Which might not be bad!" he added in a hurried stage whisper.

Arthur didn't answer, Merlin's hand was slowing and his breathing, although still heavy, had reduced itself to gasps, with the occasional hiccup. Arthur kept a tight hold of him, but he could feel the tension in Merlin's body slowly draining away and he slumped, as if exhausted. Merlin's face was now damp with tears, Arthur brought a hand up and touched his face.

"Christ he's burning."

Lancelot reached out and touched Merlin's neck gently. There was another strangled whimper from the now unmoving patient. Lancelot retracted his hand and nodded.

"Shall I get him a drink or something?"

Arthur nodded, reaching up to smooth Merlin's now sweat-damp hair off his forehead.

"Gaius has that sleeping tonic lying around somewhere, could be an idea to put a little bit of that into it."

Lancelot nodded. It was the simplest way to get medication into Merlin, sneaking it into his drinks. He never seemed to complain about it, always just drinking as much as he wanted when it was offered. Arthur hugged Merlin tightly.

"It's all right Merlin, you're safe, okay, you're still in the hospital, I'm with you."

Arthur didn't know if that was reassuring but it was the best he could offer, until Elena came tiptoeing back in.

"Viv's all right, just scared the hell out of her I think. What did he draw?"

Arthur had lifted the pad of paper to assess what Merlin had done. He swallowed dryly and looked at the sketch, and Arthur stomach churned. The drawing was clear, the figure in it huddled down, but what Arthur could see of the face showed fear. The hair was curly, so Merlin was not the subject of the drawing. On the right side was a dark shadow. It was most definitely human, but portrayed as something nightmarish. The dark figure was looming over the boy, knife held in one hard hand, and the rough lines and shading spreading out from the boy's figure was clearly meant to be blood. Elena took a deep gasp as Arthur showed it to her briefly. It might have been very swiftly drawn, but the image was clear, and probably was so in Merlin's mind.

Merlin's breathing remained heavy, and a little ragged, Arthur could feel it against his cheek as he held Merlin so tightly, not sure what else to do with him. Merlin's body had relaxed again, the nervous tension had gone. Merlin had clearly over-reached himself.

"It must have been a nightmare of some kind."

"He had no problem expressing it," Elena said.

"Could just be his subconscious? He won't have as much control over that. Shit!" Lancelot murmured as he glanced at the picture. Arthur had his hands full holding Merlin so Lancelot eased the straw into Merlin's mouth. His teeth clenched, resisting the attempt for the first time ever.

"Merlin, come on, it's just a drink, you need something after that," Arthur said. "It's just some juice."

He seemed to accept that and his jaw relaxed, Lancelot got the straw in and after a moment Merlin drank some. Arthur gently touched Merlin's cheek again, causing him to pause, but then after a moment Merlin carried on drinking.

"His skin doesn't feel as hot now," he mused.

"I brought the thermometer," Lancelot said helpfully. Arthur took it and with some careful manoeuvring eased it into Merlin's ear to check his temperature. The machine gave a beep and Arthur glanced at the reading.

"It's a couple of degrees high but nothing strange," Arthur said. Merlin finished drinking and Lancelot got up to put the cup down on the dressing table. Arthur started to move Merlin, putting him back into the bed. Merlin didn't resist but he whimpered again.

"I'm going to stay with you, Merlin," Arthur said. "Okay, I'm not going to leave you."

Merlin blinked slowly as Arthur settled him down, Elena shifting the blankets to help get Merlin settled, laying him on his side Merlin blinked again. Arthur looked up and waved in the direction of the dressing table.

"Get Kilgharrah, let's put him where Merlin can see him."

Lancelot nodded, picking up the dragon carefully. It amazed Arthur that the damn thing, after three days of occupying Merlin's room, seemed to have developed such a personality. Everyone referred to it by name, and always treated it carefully. Lancelot shifted a few things off the nightstand and put Kilgharrah down, setting him in the general area where Merlin's eyes appeared to be looking. It was sometimes hard to tell. He moved the dragon's back limbs so he was steadier and folded the wings upwards carefully. They were jointed where they met the dragon's back, and halfway along, so he could be positioned to be flying. Arthur wondered if he had ever owned a similar toy. If he had, it didn't stick in his mind. Arthur crouched by the side of the bed, looking at Merlin's lack of expression. His face had recomposed itself to his usual relaxed expression, but his eyes fixed on the dragon, spoke of something akin to desperation.


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur woke to neck ache and very tired, gritty feeling, eyes. He had stayed all night in Merlin's room, eventually moving the chair from the window next to the bed, so he was in Merlin's line of sight along with Kilgharrah. It took no effort to stay awake until Merlin dropped off. Thankfully the small amount of sleeping tonic that had been in Merlin's juice had done the trick. Plus Arthur got the feeling Merlin had exhausted himself both mentally and physically. His health had improved since he had been in residency at the annexe but he was still fragile.

Merlin had tried to fight off his tiredness, his eyes dropping and then snapping open, widening in fright, as if the image he had seen in his mind was still imprinted there. Each time he saw that Arthur leant forward and gently touched Merlin's hand.

"It's all right Merlin, you're in the hospital, you're safe."

Each time Arthur did that, Merlin's eyes closed, and his breath exhaled as a deep sigh as he was reassured. Arthur sat there, as Merlin eventually gave up and went to sleep, and Elena brought him some coffee to help him with his vigil. For a long while Arthur looked at the picture, and then up to Merlin's now peaceful face.

Arthur's mind mused over the information that his father had provided. Merlin had been found chained to another boy, whose life had already been taken. They had been shackled neck to neck. Merlin's wrists had also been secured behind his back, and a chain from that linked his hands to the other boy's, which were similarly bound. There was a good possibility that Merlin had witnessed the abuse inflicted on the other boy, and quite logically witnessed the murder. Arthur thought about it, Merlin had been the fourth victim taken, but he was the one that had survived.

The two others after him were one that had been buried on the farm land, and the boy that had been chained to him. The sixth boy was the one that had given the police enough of a clue to find the farmhouse. That boy had been chained to Merlin, acting as a weight to keep him in the cellar, and no doubt torment him mentally.

As he considered that, and tried to keep his mind alert Arthur didn't realised he what he was doing, as his eyes stayed on Merlin's face. Arthur had turned the pad to a new sheet of paper and curling his fingers around the pencil had started to draw, looking from Merlin to the sheet as he worked. It was several minutes before it dawned on him and he looked down at what he had done.

It wasn't a bad picture, he had caught the sweeping lines of Merlin's face, and started working on the thatch of thick dark hair. The pencil slowed as Arthur realised it probably wasn't ethical to be drawing Merlin, even if he was unaware of what Arthur was doing. His hand moved again, catching the shape of Merlin's cheekbone. While he was sleeping his face was so innocent. Arthur had never seen it truly animated, as he expected Merlin to be. Hunith might be over idealising her son, now he was in such a bad state, but Arthur wondered how Merlin looked when he was happy, and responsive to the world around him.

Slowly Arthur closed the sketch book. He couldn't in all conscience carry on drawing. Rather than put it on the table he settled for tucking it down the side of the chair, so it would stay safe, and knew no one would take it without him realising. He pushed the pencil into the metal rings of the pads binding, so he wouldn't lose that either and he had put his head in his hand, closing his eyes for a moment, the caffeine in the hot drink doing nothing to keep him awake. Soon enough he had gone to sleep.

"Are you all right?" Elena had asked as Arthur moved, rolling his shoulders and rubbing his neck.

"Yes," Arthur groaned. "Thanks," he added as Elena provided him with another coffee. His mouth felt dry and just as gritty as his eyes. He sipped the drink in the hope that it would clear the feeling from his mouth but it just seemed to make it worse.

"Sitting in those chairs is never comfortable," she commented, leaning over to check on Merlin. He was still sleeping. Elena looked up. "Should I leave him?"

Arthur nodded. "He's had a bad night. Probably best to let him wake up in his own time."

"You should get some proper sleep too, although you might have to fight your corner first. Nimueh is moaning at Gaius because you were called in."

"Oh, for God's sake," Arthur snapped.

"And she's blaming Lancelot, he supposed to know the proper procedure, if Nimueh thinks you need to be consulted then she is the one that should make the decision to phone you, otherwise what is the point of someone being on call."

Arthur gave a groaning huff in response, and drank more coffee and grimaced.

"Sorry, I think that's actually been sat in the machine since last night. I haven't had a chance to refresh it," Elena said seeing his face.

"I don't think I really want coffee anyway. The first thing I probably need to do is power hose my head in the shower."

"Go rescue Lancelot first."

"What about Merlin?"

"I can stay, but I need to get the others up," Elena said, looking torn.

"I'll sit with him."

Both of them turned to look at Vivian, who was wrapped up in a thick dressing gown, it swamped her stick thin frame, making her look quite childlike. She pushed her hair back off her face and tucked it behind her ears, emphasizing her frailty; she looked at them and shrugged.

"I mean, it's just sitting isn't it."

Arthur agreed with her, leaving Vivian with Merlin. If he opened his eyes all she needed to do was reassure him someone was there and then alert Elena. Arthur guessed that Merlin would be back to his usual self again, so he went through to Gaius' office, following the sound of Nimueh's voice. It sounded strident against Gaius' more modulated tone. Arthur stepped into the doorway and looked around.

"What is the problem?"

"I was the doctor on call," Nimueh announced. "Why wasn't Lancelot phoning me?"

Arthur bit his tongue, but didn't hold it for long. "Because you would have told him to sedate Merlin."

"Of course, it's procedure."

"Yes, Nimueh, I know, when a patient gets hysterical, or violent, you need something to keep them calm. I think Merlin comes up as a rather exceptional case there. It was hardly a standard situation. Since he was found that is only the second time that Merlin has displayed any reaction, and we know what the first one was about. How would sticking a needle in him have helped?"

"We have other patients to consider, they were disturbed by the whole incident," Nimueh snapped at him. "Lancelot should not have done it."

Lancelot tried to look inconspicuous, but it was hard with three people staring at him.

"Look, I just figured Arthur might have a better idea of what was happening, that's all, he's spent time with Merlin."

"Much good it's done," Nimueh snapped.

"Yes, it has," Arthur snapped. "Look, I think we have to consider the fact that Merlin might be a different case to the norm. Maybe it's better that if there is a problem with him, whoever it is just calls me automatically," Arthur said.

"Why don't we do that with all our patients?" Nimueh asked sarcastically. Arthur turned to look at her giving an innocent stare.

"I'm happy with that."

Nimueh rolled her eyes. Arthur glanced at Gaius.

"Look, it was no big deal, Lancelot called me, I came and dealt with it."

Gaius raised his eyebrows. "Did you get anything from him?"

"He drew a picture, presumably of one of the other boys. I don't know how frequent they may be, but it appears Merlin can have severe nightmares."

"Is it worthwhile leaving a sketchpad in his room?" Gaius asked.

"I suppose, he's not done it for anyone else as yet, but no one else has tried. He might for some of the others."

"He's been drawing?" Nimueh asked, folding her arms across her chest, she unfolded them as Arthur produced the sketchpad. He opened it to the picture he had done last night, making sure he had control of the pad so he wouldn't accidentally show the sketch he had done of Merlin.

"There is no outward reaction, I just put the pencil in his hand and put the pad in his lap. His hand just sketches, he doesn't even look down at the paper, he's drawing what's in his mind."

"He witnessed one of the murders," Nimueh mused. "Not surprising I suppose."

They all turned as there was the padding of feet, clearly running down the corridor. A moment later Vivian appeared, still in her fluffy dressing gown and panting heavily. All four people in the room tensed. Vivian took two deep breaths and then fixed her gaze on Arthur.

"Arthur, you'd better come and see this."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

As he turned the corner into the quiet street he knew this should not be where he was headed, but he wanted to have this conversation first. Slowing down he stared at the house numbers while he looked for the one he wanted. He caught sight of a plaque announcing number 16, he was looking for 28 so it wasn't far off. There was a space not far down, on the far side, so he indicated, aimed for it and got parked up. Turning off the engine he counted down from the house number he had clocked until he laid eyes on 28.

It was a simple looking house, in the middle of a terrace. The garden looked tidy, and well maintained, which was probably down to the person in there now, pruning a bush. Will was snipping at it almost angrily. Everything about him seemed angry. Arthur wondered if there was more to that than just Merlin's condition, then he told himself it was really none of his business. He couldn't go around analysing everyone, he'd go insane if he did. Whatever Will's problems were, unless he chose to say anything, they were none of Arthur's business. Taking a breath Arthur stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut, pressing the button to lock it as he crossed the road. Will had looked up at the sound of the door slamming and he paused trimming to stare at Arthur. The gaze was wary, almost to the point of unfriendly. Arthur stopped by the gate and ran his fingers through his hair, it was still slightly damp from a hurried shower, and he saw Will smirk, reaching up again Arthur realised his hair was sticking up. He dragged his fingers through it to calm it down and then met Will's amused gaze.

"Hi, I was hoping that Hunith would be in."

Will continued to look amused, but also shifted towards defensive.

"What for?"

Arthur did bite his tongue this time. He didn't want to argue with Will as he had with Nimueh. At least in the face of a logical argument she would concede the point, even if she didn't like it. Will was an entirely different prospect, and it was fairly obvious that the only subject that Arthur had come to discuss was Merlin.

"Look, this is pretty urgent, now is she in or not?"

The answer was a click as the front door opened, and Hunith stood in the doorway. She had an apron on over her jeans and striped blouse, and her hair was wrapped up in a scarf, pink rubbers gloves completed her look. Arthur gave her tentative smile.

"Hi."

"Hello Arthur, yes, I am in," Hunith said.

Arthur took that as a hint, he fiddled with the latch on the gate, which protested for a moment before he finally got it open and the hinges screeched as Arthur opened it, causing all three of them to wince, as Arthur stepped through it stayed open, too rusted to swing back on it's own. Arthur didn't fancy shutting it and hearing that grating sound again, he already had a headache, which was not helped by his still sore neck.

"I haven't forgotten that," Will assured Hunith, who smiled.

"Just leave it for now, I'll put the kettle on."

Arthur followed her in and Will brought up the rear, leaving the trimmers he had been holding in the small porch. Arthur looked around in interest as he entered the house. Everything was neat and tidy, some of the furniture a little worn. There was new wallpaper up in the hallway and by the look of it Hunith had been using some sort of foam cleaner on the carpet to try and spruce it up. She appeared to be winning the battle, but it looked hard going.

A picture of Merlin hung in the hallway. He looked no more than about five years old, beaming brightly at the camera, holding a huge ice cream tightly. Arthur paused to look at the picture, taking in the expression on Merlin's youthful face, so bright and animated. A happy little boy, as Hunith had referred to him. There was a light cough behind him and Arthur snapped out of his daze glancing at Will before walking down the hallway into the kitchen.

Hunith had filled the kettle, switched it on and was gathering mugs when Arthur shuffled over the doorway.

"Tea or coffee?"

"Tea please," Arthur said. "No sugar." He couldn't stand the thought of another coffee. He looked around the kitchen, again it was clean and tidy, the cupboards looked a little out of date but the walls were painted a light yellow colour, lifting the room. The window overlooked a small back garden that was filled with colour. Pots of bright flowers covered the patio, and more were planted in the beds, some were starting to die off as they came to the end of their season.

"I planted it all while Merlin was… missing," Hunith said quietly. "I had a bit too much time on my hands."

Arthur didn't think commenting on how nicely it had been done seemed appropriate so he just smiled and sat down at the kitchen table as Hunith put a mug down for him, Will took his own and lingered by the kitchen counter, while Hunith settled on Arthur's right.

"What's wrong with Merlin?" Will asked.

"Nothing," Arthur said. "Well, he's fine, in himself."

"I didn't think it was too serious," Hunith said. "Otherwise you would have said straight away."

Arthur nodded, wrapping his hands around his mug, he looked at the liquid inside it, not really wanted to drink it. He supposed he had better have a bit to be polite and made an effort to take a sip before saying.

"It's just a little bit hard to work out how to ask this," Arthur said. "Does Merlin have any sort of abilities?"

Unfortunately, Hunith looked a little confused. "More than the drawing and music? I'm not sure what you mean."

Arthur sighed. "I guess I'm just going to have to sound a little strange, I mean any sort of psychic or intuition or… you know, stuff like that. I know it's a bit peculiar to ask, I'd don't think I can really hedge around asking it."

"Oh," Hunith said, saying nothing further for a moment but the way she spoke made Arthur's heart speed up. She didn't sound, or look, entirely surprised by the query.

"Why?" Will asked. He didn't look as Arthur expected either. From what he could judge of Will character, he'd probably laugh at Arthur for suggesting it, if the suggestion was a strange one.

"Have you seen the news?" Arthur asked. Hunith glanced at Will, who shrugged and shook his head, so did Hunith, she put her hands on the table and pushed her mug around a little.

"I don't really like to, not any more."

"Merlin did this last night." Arthur rummaged in the inside pocket of his jacket, extracting the picture, unfolding it carefully and laying it on the table, turning it so Hunith could see it. She gave a sharp inhale of breath. Will stepped forward, moving around the table to stand at her shoulder, his eyes widened as he looked at the drawing.

"Shit!"

"I thought maybe it was just a nightmare, I wasn't on call but Lancelot phoned me, Merlin started screaming."

Hunith and Will turned wide eyes in his direction.

"Screaming?" Hunith gasped.

"He just kicked off, normal procedure probably would have been to sedate him but I got over there in time to get him to draw that. I was inclined to assume that the boy in the picture was one of the other victims, but there was a report this morning, asking for information about a murder that had happened that night. The photograph that was on the news, there was no doubt it was this kid, Merlin's drawn the face too clear for it to be anyone else."

"So you think he somehow witnessed a murder that was happening?" Hunith said. Arthur nodded.

"It sounds a little strange, I know that, but I don't know what else to make of it. I am going to have to see my father, he was the one doing the news report this morning."

"Doesn't waste time, does he?" Will said.

"With things like that he tries not to. He probably got Leon in the press office on it, he's always pretty swift."

They fell silent, looking away from each other. Arthur regarded his tea for a moment, and took another sip just for the want of something to do. The piece of paper lay on the table in front of them. Hunith's eyes skimmed toward it before she turned and looked up at Will. He caught her eye and slowly said.

"It's like that time I had meningitis."

Arthur looked up, Hunith nodded and turned to Arthur. It seemed with that sentence Will had opened up the agreement to discuss the situation with Arthur. Hunith gave a faint smile.

"That was years ago, they couldn't have been more than about nine years old. Merlin woke me one night, just a little after midnight and insisted that I phone Will's house. I did just try and explain that it was late and they'd be in bed, but he was so insistent, almost to the point of tears."

Arthur nodded slowly, starting to guess where this might be going.

"I thought at least I could settle him down, and apologise to Will's parents at a later date. When I phoned, they were just about to call an ambulance for Will. I got off the line quickly and said I'd call them again in the morning. When I told Merlin, he just relaxed and said that's all right, he'll be fine then."

"So he knew something was wrong with Will?"

Hunith nodded. "I guess, and it was lucky, if they had left it much longer it could have been more serious."

"And he did it with our English teacher once, she was really scary and strict, but one day she really didn't seem like herself, although she was still scary and strict," Will said frowning as he recalled the memory. "At the end of the lesson, Merlin sort of paused by her desk and said he was sorry about her mother. She hadn't said anything to anyone, but her mother had died the night before."

"So Merlin just knew things, without anyone telling him?" Arthur didn't really need an answer to that, Hunith and Will had just told him.

"It was never anything monumental, he just did it sometimes. We were just so used to it that we didn't think about it, Merlin's never really seen it as anything special, and he kind of has this ability to affect people," Hunith said.

"How so?" Arthur asked with a frown.

Hunith shrugged, "I'm not sure how to describe it, he can just make them feel the way they want to. If people are unhappy then he can cheer them up, calm them down if they are angry."

"He was always very good dealing with bullies, even if they started going to pick on him, or anyone, he'd always sort of stop them, without really doing anything, he didn't do anything," Will added, sounding confused.

"I know people could say that was just the way he was, but we always kind of knew there might be more to it," Hunith said.

Arthur pushed the cup away, he really didn't want to be drinking tea. It was starting to make him feel sick, and his neck was still hurting from sleeping in the chair.

"Are you all right?" Hunith asked as Arthur started to rub irritably at his neck.

"Yeah, but sleeping in that chair in Merlin's room is not comfortable, I put my head at a very bad angle."

"You stayed with him?" Hunith asked.

"It seemed best to keep an eye on him, after he had drawn that. I just presumed it was a memory of what happened to him. Now it seems to be something else entirely."

"I suppose so. You'll have to tell your father then?"

Arthur nodded. "Although what he will make if it is anyone's guess."

"Do you have to tell him?" Will asked. Then he looked down at Hunith.

"Can't you stop him from saying anything, Merlin's your son you've got rights. Anyway don't you have some sort of confidentiality oath and stuff?"

"You could call it that, but I think this is different," Arthur said.

"How?" Will asked.

"He can't not tell him," Hunith said quietly, her hand moving to draw the picture closer. "What about the poor boy this happened to?"

"And why him?" Arthur asked. "I don't want to sound completely pessimistic, but there are hundreds of murders that go on. Why did Merlin pick up on this one? Not only do I have to tell my father, I need to know what he hasn't bothered to tell me."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Before he went into the reception at the station Arthur called his father.

"I'm a little busy son," Uther said as he answered the phone.

"I know, but I need to talk to you urgently."

"Well, can it be tonight, I haven't got time to come over to you now."

"You don't have to," Arthur said as he pushed the door open. "I'm in reception, can you get them to let me up to see you. Trust me, this is urgent and you are going to want to hear this."

There was a pause; the phone was silent, although Arthur could hear the incident room as background noise, so he knew his father hadn't cut him off. Then he heard Uther's sigh.

"Dad, please, I wouldn't ask unless it was important."

There was another pause. Arthur was aware of one of the desk sergeants watching him with interest. No one on the reception was anyone he recognised. It was easy enough when they did, he had been trawling around police stations with Uther throughout his teenage years. Most of the time those who knew him let him into the building without any problem, even if they didn't like his father most of the officers Arthur encountered respected him.

"I'll call down and verify who you are, but you may have to wait for someone to come down. Security it a little tight."

"Okay, thanks dad."

Arthur rung off, if he had to wait that might give him time to formulate what he wanted to say. He had a small cardboard folder tucked under his arm with the relevant drawings in it. He had brought all of them, with the exception of the one of Kilgharrah. That had no bearing on this and he had kept it for Merlin, tucking it into the frame of a picture that was on Merlin's bedroom wall. Arthur thought that he might buy a frame for it, and put it up on the wall.

"Can I help you?" the uniformed man behind the desk demanded, as he watched Arthur linger.

"I'm just waiting for DCS Pendragon, he's going to phone down to tell you to let me up to see him."

"And you are?" he asked in disbelief.

"Arthur?" a more moderated voice asked. Both of them turned, and Arthur grinned.

"Hi Leon."

He was a moderately friendlier face. Arthur looked him up and down, Leon looked as if he had been up early, but still managed to look better put together, he had lost his suit jacket somewhere along the way, but his tie, shirt and waistcoat were still neat and tidy. Leon smiled back and asked.

"What are you doing here?" Then he blinked and shook his head. "Stupid question, I suppose you want to see your father. He is a bit busy."

"No change then," Arthur said, smiling to take the edge of his words. "I've just called him, he's supposed to be phoning down to tell them to let me in, that or he'll send Gwaine down."

Leon paused, and debated his position before turning to the officer on the desk.

"When DCS Pendragon calls down can you let him know I'm bringing Arthur up?"

"Sure."

Leon inclined his head. "Come on, I'm going that way anyway."

Arthur flashed him a grateful smile and fell into step with him. Leon punched the numbers on the keypad to get them further into the building and they started up the stairs.

"I don't know how hospitable he'll be, we are a bit inundated now."

"I saw a bit of the news; that was quick work this morning."

"That's my job, I've made a few more useful contacts over the last few months, since the 'Ripper' case… sorry," Leon said as Arthur frowned at the reference. "Habit, your father disapproves of it too."

Arthur huffed. There was a short embarrassed pause before Leon, on the next landing, altered the subject slightly.

"How is Merlin?"

"Getting there physically, mentally it's a whole new story. You probably had your work cut out, keeping his name clear of the media."

"It was deemed a good precuation for his own safety."

"Why?" Arthur asked. "You caught the guy when you found Merlin."

Leon shifted, speeding up as they headed to the next floor. "You know what I mean, he wasn't in any state to cope with people trying to get near him, and he was a witness to a lot of it. We're here."

Arthur followed him through the double doors and down the corridor towards the noise of the incident room. That was not what Leon meant, Arthur was sure of that. Still Leon wouldn't say any more, he was there to control the press, and give them information, not start telling Arthur details of the case. As they went into the incident room Gwaine catapulted a paper missile in their direction. Leon caught it and put it in the bin.

"Hey Junior," he said to Arthur. "Come to see us big boys do some real work."

Arthur ground his teeth and ignored Gwaine. There was no point trying to get back at him, Gwaine just found any retaliation funny, and Arthur wasn't in the mood for him. So he instead turned and smiled at Morgana.

"Hi Morgana."

She looked very business-like in a neat royal blue suit that covered everything but was tight enough to reveal. Her hair was tied back in a ribbon that matched, making her look almost regal. Arthur had never seen her look messy.

"Hello Arthur, he's just on the phone, you might need to wait a moment."

He shrugged and perched on the end of a desk. Leon wandered off to start talking to one of the other officers. Gwaine lingered around Arthur and Morgana, probably trying to find another way to annoy Arthur.

"I don't know how long he can give you, it's a bit hectic at the moment," Morgana said.

"Yeah, I saw the reports this morning. Got any information back yet?"

"Still waiting on some," Morgana said.

"Time of death?" Arthur asked. Morgana frowned and shook her head, eyeing Arthur curiously and with a trace of irritation.

"Not yet."

"Oohh, are you taking up detective work?" Gwaine asked.

Arthur didn't answer, he turned to look at the board that had the details pinned up, including a picture of their victim. The boy looked to be in his late teens with curly blond hair, and wide eyes. He was smiling into the camera with a similar bright, innocent expression that Merlin had been wearing in the photo up in Hunith's hallway. The uneasy feeling stirred in Arthur's gut again, and he slid off the desk to move closer to the board.

He felt vaguely aware of his father bearing down on him, and Gwaine flicked another missile at him, which hit Arthur on the back. He opened the folder and extracted the picture.

"I'll give you a roundabout guess of about 4am," Arthur said, and before anyone could ask him why he pinned the drawing up next to the photograph. He took one step back and looked from one to the other, giving himself a few seconds to examine the two. There was no doubt, Merlin had focused his attention on the boy's face, although in the picture it was contorted with terror it was still the victim's face.

"What the hell…?" Morgana said. She brushed against Arthur to stare at the two pictures. Gwaine got up from his seat and eased himself against her to look. Uther took Arthur's arm and yanked, pulling Arthur towards him.

"Where did you get that?" Uther snapped.

A few of the people in the room paused, turning their attention to the group. Leon eased himself closer, also looking at the picture and the photograph.

"Oh my God," he said.

Their eyes were slowly turning in Arthur's direction. Uther was staring at him, looking none too pleased with him. Arthur exhaled heavily.

"Merlin drew it, a little after four this morning. He kicked off screaming the place down."

"You weren't on call last night," Uther said, he always knew Arthur's routine. It really kind of proved that although he didn't often see him, he certainly cared about Arthur, wanting to know where he was, and that he was safe at all times. Since he was now 30 years old, and a grown-up, Arthur thought it a little excessive, but he couldn't really stop his father from doing it.

"No, but Lancelot had no idea what to do, when someone who is catatonic suddenly starts screaming it's a little hard to work out."

"And he drew that, I thought he wasn't moving," Gwaine said.

Uther took the picture and photograph off the board, giving Arthur a steely glare.

"Come with me," he snarled. Uther spun on his heel and headed towards the little tiny office over in the corner. It didn't really give much privacy, since the windows looked out over the main room but Arthur obediently trailed after him. After a moment, and a shared glance, Morgana and Gwaine tailed after him. Leon brought up the rear.

"When were you planning on telling me that Merlin was moving?" Uther demanded and Arthur winced.

"That's an over simplification. He doesn't generally move voluntarily but he did start moving his hand when I was sketching once. I put the pencil in his hand and guided him and he started drawing. He's drawing what he's seeing in his head."

"I presume he's done more than this," Uther snapped. Arthur shifted the file again, taking out the other pictures.

"Three are almost the same, I can't work out what it is, or this, but it has to have some correlation with the trauma."

Uther spread the pictures out on the desk staring at them.

"I was going to tell you, I need to try and find out what they mean, and what Merlin is trying to tell me, but I didn't think it would have any relevance."

Uther glared at him. "You've read the reports, any evidence I can get is relevant."

"Why? You convicted the guy who did this, and let's face it, I haven't got all the information. I went through what you gave us with a fine tooth comb, and it doesn't cover half of it. Most of what I got was the medical examination and some scene of crime stuff. Which means there was something you didn't tell me!" Arthur heard his voice rising. Everyone beyond the thin partition pretended not to be listening.

Gwaine picked up one of the drawings, studying it intently. "This looks familiar, hang on."

He ran off across the incident room and started rummaging around the filing cabinet. Arthur glared at his father. Morgana stepped into the eye line of both Pendragons.

"There was no reason for Arthur to think he needed to rush down and tell us every little detail. This development puts an entirely different light on the situation," she said, holding up the drawing. "How the hell could Merlin know what was happening last night?"

Uther looked at Arthur, so did Morgana. Gwaine, thankfully, provided a distraction by running back in with a file, a very thick file, which was falling to pieces.

"Look at this," he said, handing another picture to Arthur. It was a scene of crime photograph. Arthur took it and viewed the image carefully, Gwaine laid a few others out on the desk, and put one of the pictures Merlin had drawn of the odd looking boiler in the middle.

"That was in the cellar where we found him," Gwaine said.

Arthur's heart tensed as he looked at the squat boiler that occupied a corner of the small space. The black object had an oddly threatening look to it. The chimney ran up through the low ceiling.

"By the look of it some of the victim's clothes were burnt in there, but there was a woodpile nearby, so we presumed he used it to keep them warm. When we found Merlin and the dead boy in there they were both naked," Gwaine said.

Arthur felt his stomach start to churn.

"Where was Merlin in relation to this thing?"

"Opposite corner, just there," Gwaine pointed to the relevant space on a wider shot. The walls of the room looked filthy with grime and Arthur thought some of the smears were traces of blood. An old, ragged sleeping bag and pile of blankets were tucked up in the area that Gwaine pointed to.

"Was that thing in Merlin's line of sight?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, he was staring at it."

There was a pause, Arthur swallowed heavily. "He's still there, in his mind, Merlin's still there."

"You said he seemed aware of his surroundings," Morgana said.

"It doesn't matter where he is physically; mentally and emotionally he's still here, and he can't get out. The murder can't have happened there though, can it?"

"No," Uther said. "We checked it."

"So what haven't you told me about this?" Arthur demanded. "I didn't have any details of the case other than that is specific to Merlin. You said there were holes, and circumstantial evidence. What am I missing?"

Uther sighed heavily. "There is no doubt that Cenred, the man in question, did what he did. Despite the defence, there was enough evidence to convict him."

"But…?" Arthur demanded. "There's a but somewhere in that sentence."

"But there is also evidence that these crimes were not committed by someone acting alone. Chances are he was working with someone else. The only problem is we have no idea who is it, or where to even start looking."

Arthur felt his stomach go cold, and do a very dramatic somersault.

"And now he's killed again," Gwaine added.

"And somehow," Arthur said, amazed that his voice stayed steady. "Merlin knows exactly what is happening."

Uther looked at him steadily. "Which means as strange as it is, we may have a witness."


	6. Chapter 6

For some reason Uther drove with Morgana to the hospital and told Gwaine to stay with Arthur. It wasn't like he was going to attempt to escape or evade them, they knew where he was going, but Arthur gave no complaints. So Gwaine sat in the passenger seat of Arthur's car, rummaging through his CD collection, peering into his glove compartment and retuning his radio.

"Interesting range you have," Gwaine said, poking through the CD's again. "I wouldn't have expected to you like some of this."

Arthur gripped the steering wheel and tried not to snap at Gwaine. He couldn't help it, the man just irritated him. It wasn't really Gwaine's fault, they had just never really got on.

"Life's full of surprises," Arthur said. Gwaine shrugged at Arthur's terse tone of voice and looked at the passing scenery instead, and played with the electric window control. Arthur tried not to snap again, and waited until Gwaine got bored with that. He put the window back up again and ran his fingers through his hair. Arthur had to admit that if Uther had given Gwaine instructions to try and get more information out of him he wasn't bothering to act on it. Unless the whole irritating behaviour was some form of torture to see if he'd break.

Gwaine turned in the seat to look into the back of the car, and smirked at the rabbit in a hammock stuck to the back window.

"Cute."

"It was a present from Gwen, she has a good eye for cute."

"Was she the one you dated?" Gwaine asked.

"No, that was Elena, and I wouldn't call it much of a relationship, we only went out a few times."

"That's why I used the word 'dated' as opposed to girlfriend," Gwaine corrected. "Maybe Gwen's trying to tell you something."

"Yeah; happy birthday. Maybe it's why my mum thinks the car isn't grown up."

Gwaine frowned, turned around again, waving at the car behind. Morgana indulgently waved back.

"What isn't grown up?"

"My car, mum thinks it isn't grown up enough."

"It's got an engine, and you can kill someone if you hit them with it, how is that not grown up?"

Arthur shrugged. Gwaine smirked.

"Is this one of those settling down with a nice girl, getting married, and lumbering yourself with a mortgage type of thing?"

"Could be."

"Arthur, my friend, you are not alone in this," Gwaine assured him, reaching out to clap a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I get the same thing from my mother, and my aunt, and my sister, and sometimes my father." Gwaine patted him reassuringly.

It took some effort on Arthur's part to prevent himself from shrugging off the hand and informing Gwaine they were not friends. Again, it wasn't Gwaine's fault. Arthur hadn't even met Gwaine the first time he was irritated by him. He had just seen a picture of him in the newspaper, with his father. Uther had been caught in the picture with a friendly arm around Gwaine's shoulder. It had irked Arthur, when it shouldn't have, but he saw the reality of it often enough. When he had refused to join the police force, his father, probably though no conscious fault of his own, took on younger officers, encouraging them, in place of Arthur. They were just acting as substitutes for what Uther had wanted to do for Arthur, what he had planned, without telling Arthur anything about it.

Uther had been disappointed by Arthur's refusal to follow in his footsteps. Arthur hadn't really thought about what career he wanted until his late teens, when he had started to look towards university. It was perhaps the divorce that had turned his mind away from being a police officer, with his father so busy, and never home. Arthur hadn't really wanted that, and disappointment was better than guilt.

There was a danger to the job, Uther had been injured enough, he had been stabbed and beaten more than once, and only a protective vest had prevented his death when an armed robber had shot him. Arthur could have ended up in the same danger, anything could happen, and his father wouldn't have forgiven himself; Igraine certainly wouldn't. Arthur had seen his mother's upset when Uther got injured. Arthur didn't think his conscience could take putting Igraine through that.

"My family forever asking me if I've met a nice girl. I say I have, but I'm still working on it," Gwaine said.

"Who?"

Gwaine inclined his head backwards, towards the car behind them. Uther was keeping directly behind them, following Arthur steadily. Arthur raised his eyebrows.

"You and Morgana?"

"Not yet, I'm letting my charm do it's work."

"Since when?"

"Since about five years ago." Gwaine grinned and Arthur couldn't help but laugh as he signalled right and paused to let a car pass before turning into the driveway of the annexe.

"I think you might need to accept the fact that you're never going to get anywhere. Morgana is married to the job."

"I live in hope," Gwaine said sagely.

"I think in this case, you live in delusion."

Arthur parked his car neatly in his space, and Uther eased his own into the area where visitors tended to park. Gwaine got out of the car and looked over the roof of the Beetle at Arthur.

"A little bit doesn't do any harm," Gwaine said. Arthur shrugged.

"I suppose," Arthur said. He locked the car and turned, frowning as he caught sight of one of the fire doors. Instead of heading towards the main entrance he went to the side of the building, walking over a section of grass to pick up the pathway that ran out from the east wing.

"Arthur?" Uther asked him.

"This door should not be open," Arthur announced, pulling it open and looking into the dining room. No one was inside, which made Arthur feel even more suspicious.

"Aren't they alarmed?" Gwaine said.

Arthur shook his head. "It was deemed to expensive, and since the patients here are voluntary, there isn't any concern that they will try to sneak out. Lancelot!"

Lancelot backed up, pausing in the corridor as he frowned at Arthur.

"What?"

"This door was open, the cleaners didn't leave it like that did they?"

Lancelot shook his head, "not to my knowledge and they always let us know if that's the case."

"This looks like it's been opened from the outside," Gwaine said, looking at the side of the door.

"I'll warn everyone else, and get them to search the building," Lancelot said, struggling to pull the walkie-talkie he had on his belt off to start calling around to the rest of the staff. Arthur went down the corridor, heading up the stairs towards the resident's wing.

"Have you got any drugs that would be worthwhile stealing?" Gwaine asked.

"Some but they are locked away, and we never have a huge supply, just enough, we get a weekly delivery from the hospital, and if we need anything else, someone goes and collects just the right amount," Arthur said.

"I'll check the supply now," Lancelot added, Gwaine veered off and followed him.

"I'll come with you."

Arthur carried on up to the resident's wing, not entirely certain why he thought to go that way. He just wanted to check everything was all right, and some instinct was stirring inside him. It was occasional that someone might break into the building looking for drugs but Arthur didn't think that was the case this time.

Uther and Morgana followed behind him. Arthur went straight to Merlin's rooms and froze in horror.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

The two men in Merlin's room jumped, turning round to stare at him. Arthur went cold when he saw the camera that one of them was carrying.

"This is a private building, and you have no right to be in here!" Arthur added. Uther pushed him further into the room to glare at the two men.

"Hey, we just wanted a picture. Mr Emrys is rather newsworthy."

"I will have you on a trespassing charge," Uther snarled. "And his name has not been released, so where did you get it from?"

"Your press office isn't as secure as you thought, and I'm not one of your pet reporters," the man nearest to Merlin snapped, his thin face contorting into a sneer. Arthur eased his way into the room, walking over the bed to get to Merlin's side. Someone had put Kilgharrah into Merlin's hands, he had them carefully wrapped around the dragon, but Arthur noticed with horror, one of his wings hanging, at the hinge.

"Bloody hell!" Arthur exploded. He almost took Kilgharrah out of Merlin's hands, but he felt a tremor of tension, and instead crouched down and gently tried to examine the damage. Arthur's shoulders tensed as he heard a clicking sound.

"Enough!" Uther snapped. "Give me that camera!"

"Hey, you can't stop us, this latest murder could be related to the 'Ripper' case, which means Cenred might get his appeal."

"And you think putting information about the only survivor in the paper is the most intelligent next move?" Morgana asked, her voice low. She was moving forward, to try and confiscate the camera. The man backed away, but Arthur was behind him so he could only go so far. Crouched down, Arthur was also close enough to see what happened. The man lifted the camera, holding it by the strap, to try and keep it from Morgana's grip. The momentum of his movement didn't seem all that violent but it caused the camera to swing in such a way that it impacted against the bed post.

The crack as it connected was shattering in the small room. The photographer turned to look in horror and then sent an accusing glare at Arthur.

"You did that on purpose!"

"I never touched it," Arthur snapped at him. Fragments of plastic and glass started to litter the floor. Morgana used the moment, and the distracted horror of the photographer to take the camera and eject the memory card, pocketing it neatly before handing it back.

"Do you have any idea what this is worth?" he demanded.

"I presume you're insured," Morgana said, looking unruffled. Gwaine appeared in the doorway, it had been quite obvious that no one had tried to access the drugs locker so he had come running back, blocking the doorway. Arthur let them get on with it, instead he concentrated on Merlin, trying to ease Kilgharrah from his grip. Merlin's hands had tensed, not wanting to relinquish the toy.

"You two, out!" Uther snapped at the two reports. "Is there somewhere we can talk to these two in peace?"

"Use the dining room, Lancelot will make sure on one wanders in there accidentally," Arthur said.

"Sure," Lancelot said. Gwaine backed up and let Uther and Morgana herd the two men out, Lancelot leading the way back down to the dining room. Arthur continued to try and prise Kilgharrah from Merlin but he wasn't giving him up. As he was fairly steady in Merlin's grip Arthur eyed the damage.

"What the hell did they do to you?" Arthur asked the toy. His right wing was hanging on the joint in the middle of the wing. Arthur didn't dare touch it, which was probably why Merlin didn't want to give it to anyone. Gwaine watched the others go, before heading into the room, looking at the toy, peering over Arthur's shoulder. He gave a thoughtful murmur, reaching out to gently take the now flimsy bit of plastic.

"Have you got any fuse wire?" Gwaine asked after a moment.

"I don't know!" Arthur snapped. "Gwen's brother comes in to do most of the repairs, I have no idea where he leaves stuff. You could ask Lancelot, he'll probably know."

Gwaine straightened up. "I shall, I can probably fix that up."

He wandered out again, heading off on his mission to locate some fuse wire. Gwaine also mused that he'd need some wire cutters, and pliers, or perhaps tweezers, it looked like it could be a delicate job. He wandered out of the resident's area and headed down the stairs. Lancelot was lingering in the corridor that led to the dining room looking uncomfortable. Gwaine glanced past them to see Uther giving the two reporters something of a telling off, Morgana listening carefully. Gwaine looked at Lancelot.

"Have you got any fuse wire, and pliers? I'll see if I can fix Merlin's dragon."

"The toolbox is in the store cupboard just there," Lancelot said, pointing at the area under the stairs. Gwaine nodded and went rummaging. Lancelot turned to look into the dining room again. He couldn't hear what was being said but Uther seemed to be dominating the conversation. He glanced back as Gwaine reappeared from the cupboard, holding what he needed in his hands.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Lancelot frowned, looking worried. "I was supposed to be on duty up there, I should have realised they had got in."

"Yeah, because you're really going to expect two reporters to come creeping in a fire door to start photographing one of your more vulnerable patients," Gwaine said. Lancelot looked even more uncomfortable.

"What if they do print those pictures though?"

"They won't. Morgana's got the memory card, and Uther can handle it. He can certainly run with the reasoning that it might affect this new investigation."

"It really was this new murder that Merlin drew?"

"Looks to be, I don't believe in co-incidence, it would be a huge one that Merlin happened to draw that scene, with our victim. Did you know he was drawing?"

Lancelot shook his head. "No, Arthur only discussed it with Gaius. I think Arthur wanted to keep Merlin's first steps low key, rather than risk inundating him. Then he just kicked off last night."

"You were there, when he started?"

Lancelot nodded. "I'm on the late shift this week. They were just all settling down to bed. I'd done Merlin first, and I had just walked past his room. He wasn't asleep, he was just lying in bed, and he was fine. I was going to go back and check on him one last time, and we usually leave his light on until we know he's fully asleep, so I'd have told Elena if she needed to go back to look in on him, then I just heard screaming. I followed the sounds and it took me to Merlin's room. He hadn't moved, but he was just…"

"Screaming?" Gwaine finished the sentence. Lancelot nodded.

"I was just going to move him, and he tried fighting me off. Since we had no idea what to do, we called Arthur and he came tearing over."

"Is that usual?" Gwaine asked.

"No, not really. Well actually, kind of yes for Arthur. If he's on call and we ring him, he just tends to head in rather than give us instruction over the phone, not that we often need to. But this was not even close to a normal scenario, so I just didn't know what else to do."

Gwaine shrugged, Lancelot looked a bit like a startled rabbit, probably thinking that he shouldn't have told Gwaine quite as much as he had done.

"I'll see if I can fix that dragon thing," Gwaine said, waving the tools he had acquired and he jogged back up the stairs towards Merlin's room. Arthur voice was a low comforting murmur as he gently talked to Merlin.

"Got the stuff," Gwaine announced putting it all down on the dressing table and he tried to take Kilgharrah from Merlin. Merlin again resisted any attempts to have the dragon taken from him.

"Can you do it while he's holding it?"

"I would have thought putting it down on a level surface was better. That's plastic pin seems to have broken so I need to ease that piece out and re-thread that section of the joint with wire."

"Merlin, Gwaine will look after it all right, but you have to give Kilgharrah to him so he can fix him. Okay, I'll be right here, I'll keep an eye on him. Nothing else will happen to him, just let me take him for a moment." Arthur continued talking in the low gentle tone and Merlin's rigid grip slowly started to relax and Arthur eased Kilgharrah from Merlin's hands, carefully passing him over to Gwaine, who cradled the dragon carefully.

"Don't worry Merlin, I'm a regular Mr Fix-it," Gwaine assured him, carefully putting Kilgharrah down on the dressing table, and taking the set of small pliers he had found began levering out the broken bit of plastic. Arthur put the sketchpad and pencil he had left in the room into Merlin's hands, trying to see if he could get anything out of him. The pad rested in his lap but Merlin for a minute or so, refused to take hold of the pencil.

"Come on, just try Merlin, just talk to me," Arthur said.

Gwaine paused, glancing up as Arthur said that. Merlin wasn't reacting, his blank eyes looked to be fixed on the dragon. Gwaine looked away, getting the plastic out and slowly moving the dragon's broken wing, propping it up while he cut a length of wire to thread through the broken section of the joint. Using the pliers he caught up the end to draw it through and then bend it to feed it though for a second time. Out of the corner of his eye he realised Merlin had started drawing, in response to Arthur's request. Arthur's soothing tone continued, encouraging and reassuring. Gwaine didn't know how Arthur did it, dealing with his patients. Merlin was just unnerving. Gwaine had found it disturbing when Merlin was just blankly staring at the hospital ceiling. Now his gaze seemed to be fixed on something, but still remaining blank. Somehow that seemed worse to him. He put his focus onto fixing the dragon rather than think about that.

Arthur watched the slow progress as Merlin drew, but he wasn't surprised about what came up. It was Kilgharrah and again Merlin had made one small thing the focus of his drawing, in this case, the broken wing. As Arthur assessed the picture, he decided the wing didn't appear out of proportion with the rest of the drawing, but it lay in the centre of it, and it was what drew the observer's eye. Merlin had given it a certain emphasis, as he had done with the face of the boy in the other sketch. Arthur thought about the other pictures, glancing up at the other one of Kilgharrah that was wedged into the frame on the wall. That one didn't seem to have the same quality, but the other three of the boiler were focused intensively on one item.

Yet all the pictures seemed to indicate that Merlin telling them something. Maybe they were not all as separate as Arthur was thinking they were. Perhaps Merlin, for the moment, just couldn't put the fragments together, and that left Arthur, and the rest of them, only getting the smallest little detail at a time. Hopefully he could help Merlin put it all together in the end.

"You getting anything from him?" Gwaine asked, while he carefully used to pliers to twist the two ends of wire together.

"Just Kilgharrah, and his broken wing, that seems to be his only concern at the moment."

"Bloody reporters!" Gwaine muttered, and then changed the subject. "So where did Merlin get this old boy from?"

"He's had it since he was a kid, and is very fond of it."

"Merlin was into dragons and things then, cool. I was more of an Action Man kid myself, and you being so blond must have been a Barbie boy."

Gwaine sniggered as Arthur glared at him.

"Actually, I liked Lego."

Gwaine continued to snigger as he finished twisting the last second of wire before carefully snipping down the ends so there were no sharp edges, he moved the dragon's wing about, testing the movement. The movement of the pencil on the paper increased dramatically.

"Gwaine," Arthur warned in a low tone. Gwaine looked up, frowning as he realised the pressure Merlin was putting on the paper. He stopped fiddling with Kilgharrah and brought him back over to Merlin. Arthur removed the pencil and pad and between them they wrapped Merlin's hands back around the dragon.

"See Merlin, almost as good as new," Gwaine said to him brightly, again gently moving Kilgharrah's wing. It dropped a fraction, the wire not supporting as well as the original plastic pin had but it still looked fairly good. Merlin's hands tightened and Gwaine backed up gathering up the equipment he had brought with him.

"Thanks," Arthur said. Gwaine shrugged.

"All part of the service."

"Er… Arthur, your father wants a word," Lancelot said suddenly appearing in the doorway. "I can stay with Merlin. Oh, you fixed him!" he added with some relief.

Gwaine grinned. "Yes, I am fixer extraordinaire, although that tosser has another think coming if he thinks I'll fix his camera. That was no less than he deserved."

Arthur frowned, turning his attention back to Merlin. Merlin's head had tilted downwards a little, and his hands were still tightly holding Kilgharrah, reassured by his presence. Arthur slowly straightened up, brushing Merlin's hair back off his forehead. Lancelot moved the wooden chair closer and sat down by Merlin.

"I won't be long Merlin, Lancelot will look after you."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

By the time Arthur got downstairs with Gwaine a squad car had arrived to escort the two reporters to the station. They were making less noise and protests as they were marched off, Uther still sat in the dining room glared at them in stony silence, Morgana was smirking. Gaius now sat with them, so Arthur and Gwaine sat down to join the discussion.

"So, do we know how they found out?" Gwaine asked.

"They are saying it was an anonymous tip off, via email," Morgana said.

"Which means we'd better check out their email," Gwaine said, not sounding entirely enthusiastic about that.

"And a few other newspapers," Morgana said. "If you can send it to one, it can be sent to more."

"Great," Arthur said. "You mean we might be inundated with reporters trying to get to him."

Gaius raised his eyebrows.

"Most of them were very cooperative with any information they received, and Leon liaised well enough with them all. I've got him on chasing down any further tip-offs. He hasn't been contacted by anyone and for the ones we know he'd be first port of call," Uther said.

"Some of them do know his name anyway, they agreed to keep him anonymous, the rest of the information they had was good enough. Quite frankly keeping him unnamed added more to the story if nothing else," Morgana said.

"Now however that information appears to be leaking out," Uther said. "We may have to consider relocating Merlin."

"No!" Arthur objected rather strenuously. The rest of them looked at him startled.

"I mean he's just settling in, moving him now might disturb him, plus anywhere more secure might not be able to give him the care he needs."

Arthur felt as if he didn't now want to let Merlin go without a fight. He had managed to get him communicating however difficult and distant it was.

"Even if we had to make that decision I certainly wouldn't want him treated by anyone else," Uther said soothingly.

"I agree with Arthur," Gaius said. "Moving Merlin should be a last resort, he is just becoming comfortable in his surroundings. With the exception of last night he hasn't shown any sign of discomfort."

"He's not really aware of where he is though, is he?" Morgana asked.

"I think he is, just because he isn't interacting doesn't mean that he doesn't know. He's certainly picking up on things we are saying to him, his first picture of Kilgharrah was after he was told his mother was coming to visit, and she was the one that would understand exactly what it meant," Arthur said. "And bizarre as it is to say, I think he is happy enough here. I don't think he'd take a move too well."

"This is a small enough place," Gaius said. "We've never really had to worry about having too much security, there is only a small number of staff, and we can just make sure they are on their guard."

"All things considered, I think we might need to consider some added security, someone that could be on hand, should anything happen," Uther mused.

"I don't think a uniformed presence would really help," Arthur said. "In fact it might disturb a few of the residents."

"I wasn't meaning quite as obvious as that," Uther said.

"You want to add someone to the staff?" Gaius asked.

"Not quite," Uther started.

"You want to put an undercover policeman into residency," Arthur said, getting the point.

"There are enough officers with mental problems, we can probably take our pick," Gwaine said. "I don't think I could name one who isn't mildly disturbed in some way."

Uther shot him a glare, which naturally bounced of Gwaine's thick hide. He turned his attention back to Gaius and Arthur.

"I have someone in mind, it would be a wise move considering that Merlin has quite obviously, somehow, demonstrated that this latest murder is linked to his case."

"And this other person is out there, and could know Merlin is here. What about the guy you convicted, Cenred?" Arthur asked.

"He could use it to his advantage if he wanted to appeal the murder charge, he has cause to now, but we still have him on kidnap, assault, rape, there were traces of his semen found on, and in, Merlin," Gwaine said.

"And Toby," Uther added.

"Sorry?" Arthur asked.

"Toby, the boy Merlin was chained to, he was sixteen years old, taken in April, three months after Merlin was kidnapped, he was just finishing his GCSE's, although his grades were not expected to be brilliant, but he had arranged to work full time at the bakery where he had a Saturday job. After he started he found he really liked it, his plan was to learn what he could and then perhaps start his own baking business. He wasn't really very outgoing, but had a good circle of friends, he was fairly good at chess as well and had been in the local choir since he was seven."

The information rolled of Uther's tongue with ease. He could probably recite quite a bit about the rest of the victims. It was information like that he stored, as if it was important. He always made a point to learn it.

"He was the youngest one. The rest we quite logically couldn't get any traces on, but I had the forensics spending hours going over that cellar, so they didn't miss a thing. We have proof that Cenred had them all in that cellar, we can't prove certain things, but there is certainly enough to assume all the boys suffered in the same way."

"And now we have some hint that there was this second person, what was their involvement, what were they doing?" Gwaine asked.

Uther sighed and looked at Arthur and Gaius.

"That we don't know, last night's murder was frenzied. The boy was stabbed several times, some hit vital organs, others were minor wounds. He had tried to get away, there were defensive wounds as well."

"How long had this one been missing?" Gaius asked.

"Just over a week," Morgana said.

"Were the injuries the same as Merlin, Toby and the others?" Arthur asked.

Morgana shook her head. "No, I was there for the initial examination. There was no other injuries except those that were inflicted during the attack last night. With the six boys Cenred had the abuse was sustained; starvation, beating, rape. It was almost very well controlled."

"The only seriously violent wound was Merlin's head wound," Gwaine said. "Although a couple of the others had similar fractures."

"So, it sounds like the unidentified assailant was not the dominant one," Gaius concluded. "He doesn't have the same control that Cenred did."

"Cenred claims he didn't murder any of them, he just said he was keeping them."

"For someone else, which might indicate the other person was in charge," Morgana said. "The way he talks about it you would possibly think so."

"Either way, what does he gain by not telling us who they are?" Gwaine asked.

"Did he say there was someone else?" Arthur asked.

"No, actually he neither confirmed nor denied that," Morgana said.

"The only thing he was very vocal about was what he did to those boys. All he's doing is playing a game. He's shown no remorse, he makes it sound almost like a practicality," Gwaine said.

"So, all he can do is get the murder charges appealed against, nothing else. He's still not getting out of prison," Arthur said.

"No," Uther said sternly. "Although, all things considered, I think we need to pay Cenred a visit. He's another one who could give us an indication of what we're dealing with."

"I want to go with you," Arthur said. Uther looked at him sharply, and both Pendragon men took on an identical stubborn look. Arthur carried on talking.

"I can be useful, I want to see this guy. All I have is what Merlin has shown me, and the information you gave me. I want to have a look at the guy that did this, and not just see him in the paper, I've done that."

"You said you never read the papers," Morgana pointed out.

"Since the whole damn thing has been headline news on and off for months he is pretty hard to miss," Arthur said. "I want to meet this guy."

"Very well, but you do this by my rules," Uther said.

"Fine," Arthur said.

"And you agree to allow someone in as undercover protection for Merlin."

Arthur gritted his teeth and glanced at Gaius. "That's not my decision."

Gaius sighed and eased his glasses off. "The welfare of the patients has to come first. A few of the residents might suspect something, we need someone who won't disturb them, but in the light of what has happened, I see no harm in allowing Merlin some extra protection. We'll have to inform all the staff though."

"That's fine," Uther said.

Gwaine frowned. "Who do you have in mind?"


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur had left by the time the huge man arrived. He had gone in early to see Merlin, simply wanting to make sure he spent time with him, and although Arthur told him he would be away for the rest of the day he gave no hint as to where he was going. He didn't think mentioning Cenred to him was a good idea.

During the time before his father came to pick him up Arthur tried to get another picture out of Merlin. He didn't get much more than blurred shadows, and guessed that Merlin wasn't coping well after the events of the previous day and the feelings the nightmare had brought on. Despite avoiding headlines Arthur hadn't been able to miss some of the news stands with sensationalist wording.

Alice, merrily working on reception, re-organising some of the schedules so a male member of staff was on duty at all times, got rather a surprise as the tall, well-built man wandered over the threshold carrying a packed looking holdall and looking around in interest. She paused typing.

"Oh."

"Hello," said the man. Elena, who was passing along the landing, paused at the exclamation of surprise and peered down to look at the newcomer, who had wandered over to the desk.

"I was told to ask for Arthur, or Gaius," he announced.

Elena frowned and trotted down the stairs, the man turned, eyes widening a little and then he beamed at her. Elena smiled back, Alice, now having some backup recovered herself.

"Dr Pendragon isn't here, he went out an hour or so ago. I'm not certain when he'll be back, if at all today."

"Oh," the man said looking at his watch. "I didn't think of that."

"I can call Gaius, he's just in his office."

"Can I go through and see him?"

"No!" both women snapped at him sternly. He looked from one to the other in surprise but then shrugged and gave an amiable smile.

"Okay, I can wait here, it's very peaceful here isn't it?"

"That's the purpose," Alice told him primly, as she picked up the phone and pressed through to Gaius' extension.

"Ah, Gaius," she said warmly. "There is a young gentleman here to see you; he did say he was supposed to ask for you, or Dr Pendragon."

Alice listened for a moment and then looked up at him.

"And your name is?"

"Percival," he said. "DCS Pendragon should have phoned ahead."

Elena's eyebrows rose up, and she appraised Percival again. He watched her look him up and down without the slightest flicker of self-consciousness, as if being stared at was something he was entirely used to. Alice reiterated the information to Gaius who clearly responded and Alice put the phone down, looking up.

"He'll be here in a minute."

Percival nodded, and just looked around again, peering down the corridor to the dining room, but making no attempt to wander out of the reception area. Elena and Alice watched him for a moment, before looking at each other.

The door squeaked, as it always did, as Gaius came bustling through from the office area and headed down the steps. Percival smiled again.

"Hello, DCS Pendragon sent me."

"Yes," Gaius drawled. "I'm not entirely certain this step is necessary but I don't suppose it can do any harm. I'll show you where you're staying. I haven't informed all the staff yet about what's happening, but Elena's on duty today."

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"Extra protection for Merlin, after the incident yesterday."

"Oh," Elena and Alice said in unison, appraising Percival again, as if he was a prize bull. Percival stood patiently while they did so, and Gaius watched both women give the young man a good once over.

"Come through to the resident's wing," Gaius said, shuffling towards the stairs. Percival picked his holdall up and ambled after him with Elena in tow. She shared a final look with Alice, both of them agreeing that Percival wasn't an entirely bad addition. Alice smirked and went back to the timetables. Elena skipped after Gaius and Percival, who held the door open for her to go through ahead of him.

"So you're a policeman then?" she asked.

"No, I was, now I just work in security. DCS Pendragon sometimes uses me when he officially can't use someone for budget reasons and stuff. That or he doesn't want to use anyone too… obvious." Percival took a while to find that word, which made both Gaius and Elena frown. Elena appraised him again and asked.

"If you're not a policeman what do you do, security wise?"

"Mainly work as a bouncer, I block doors really well."

Elena sniggered, Gaius rolled his eyes and said, "We don't really need an official treatment record for you, but I'll get Elena to set up a file, we just have to think of a condition for you."

"Just enough to justify why I'm here in case anyone checks the records," Percival said. "Can I have something interesting? I've always wanted to be interesting."

"This room here is yours, Merlin is next door."

"Right," Percival said, wandering in, looking around. He dropped his bag onto the bed and peered out of the window, carefully surveying the scene.

"You don't think you're interesting?" Elena asked. Percival turned.

"Not really."

"But you're…" she waved a hand up and down. Percival glanced down at himself and shrugged.

"Being big doesn't make you interesting; in fact most people assume you're stupid."

Elena tugged on a lock of her head. "I know that feeling."

Percival grinned, and then looked around again. "Can I see Merlin's room?"

"Can it wait, Merlin's resting so I don't want to disturb him too much," Gaius said. Percival nodded.

"I just need to take a peek at the location really. I don't need to spend any time there. I had a look from the outside," Percival went to the window again and opening it, peered out, assessing the window next door.

"His is the end room then, with the windows on both sides?"

"Yes," Gaius said. "It has good light."

"Also makes it a little vulnerable," Percy mused. "At least the drainpipe isn't nearby, and there's no cover on the ground, approach would be difficult."

"I don't think we need to worry about that quite yet. This is just a precaution," Gaius said.

"Sorry," Percival said. "Habit. But I'm here next door, so I'm going to hear what goes on."

"So does Merlin," Gaius snapped.

"Should you introduce me?" Percival asked. "I know I can pretend to be a patient, but that is not my job. Does Merlin really know what's going on?"

"Assessments say yes," Gaius said. "I'm not particularly happy about this, you might as well know that from the start."

"Fair enough," Percival shrugged amiably. "But it would appear that DCS Pendragon is taking Merlin's safety seriously. I don't get told any more than I need to know, I turn up and get on with what I need to do."

"But…" Gaius prompted.

"If he's called me in, then it's for a very good reason. However, it's up to you what you think people should know."

"I think before we take that any further, we discuss it with Arthur."

"Fair enough, the only thing I'll ask while I'm waiting. I'd like to take a walk through the grounds."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Elena said. "What are we looking for?"

Percival shrugged. "Nothing, until we find something."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The drive up had been something between tedious and irritating for Arthur. Uther had briefed him to within an inch of his life.

"We are conducting this investigation. You are just assisting as a psychiatrist," Uther said. "I don't want him to get any hint that you have been treating Merlin. I don't want to even tell him who you are."

"Okay," Arthur said, trying not to feel insulted by that. Morgana, who was driving, added to it.

"He'll use that to wind both of you up, if he knows you're Uther's son. Once he gets that, he won't let it go," she announced. "And don't rise if he makes obscene comments. It's one thing he uses as leverage, and he is bound to say something about Merlin, so don't react to it."

"Fine," Arthur said.

Then it carried on, he wasn't to speak to directly to Cenred. Uther would tell him that Arthur was only here to observe. Cenred would probably try to engage him in conversation, but Arthur was to ignore him. Arthur got the feeling he was only there on sufferance, unless of course he could come up with something insightful about the man they were about to face. Arthur just wanted to lay eyes on him, to see the person who had destroyed Merlin. There was more to what happened to Merlin than any of them could see, and Merlin was unable to tell anyone, at least in the conventional sense. That left Arthur with a lot of guesswork. He wanted to know more, and Cenred, at least, was able to talk.

The prison was a modern looking building, but it still managed to present a feel of ancient power. High concrete walls surrounded the building, which rose up from behind it's barrier, the barred windows standing out against the brickwork. It looked like it did exactly what it was meant to do, keep people in.

"Cenred is in the secure facility. That's within the main building, but the prisoners within it do not interact with the main population. I think in Cenred's case it's not just for his safety but for the rest of them as well," Morgana commented, as they reached the door and Uther got them through the main gates.

Arthur looked around carefully as one of the guards started to lead them across the courtyard into the building. There were a few of the prisoners moving around the yard to their left. As the small group passed by the prisoners all turned to stare. Most of them fixed their gaze on Morgana, starting to heckle her a little. Morgana looked bored, and paid no attention to them.

Arthur walked after them trying not to hunch his shoulders at the suggestions towards Morgana, towards himself. Morgana just strode on ignoring everything that was thrown her way. Arthur walked with her but felt like cringing just a little. Without even realising he was doing it he moved to her left side, in the hope of flanking her. It wasn't much, and it just turned some of their attention to him. Arthur kept his gaze fixed on Uther's back as he walked on ahead of them, but his gaze eventually moved to Morgana.

She was dressed at neatly as usual. Her pencil skirt tight fitting, the matching jacket nipping in at her waist before flaring out. She wore a silky camisole top underneath, and her hair was neatly drawn back in a plait. Everything about her screamed professionalism, but there was more to it. Even though her hair was always sensibly tidy, she always showed off it's length, trailing just past her waist, and the clothes covered, but revealed. It made her look everything she needed to be. Sometimes harmless and sympathetic, in contrast sexual, businesslike, steely, determined; like a chameleon she could use what she looked like to her advantage, making sure she could shift through to find what she needed.

It was how she had managed to get so far. Arthur didn't believe the rumours that she was sleeping with her father. Even if she was, it would not be to further her career. Morgana seemed to have no interest in relationships. It made Arthur wonder why, although he probably shouldn't. Although he did debate Gwaine's ability to woo her, could Morgana even been swayed, just in the slightest. Certainly not by the men heckling her, she was making them look foolish as she refused to rise and, by the simple movement of her body, refuse to be intimidated. It was Arthur that was doing that, he moved a little closer to her.

"It's not nice," Morgana said, agreeing with him without Arthur saying anything. She glanced up, understanding in her eyes. Morgana knew Arthur felt unsettled by it.

"I think they should find something better to do," Arthur growled.

"There isn't anything for them, they are trapped in here, which is no less than they deserve. It gets worse, in the secure unit. Less of them but they are the worst of the worst. Cenred is trapped in a tower, he doesn't even get to look at these guys. They'd try to kill him, he's probably win."

"Rehabilitation at it's best," Arthur said.

"No," Morgana said steadily as they paused to be let into the next section. "Rehabilitation works for those that want it. These do not, they are scum, they will stay it. I think you can rattle the bastard, but if you do, you will be the first."

Morgana said that and went through the door, Arthur ran after her to shouts of 'bitch' and 'pussy'. He did what Morgana did. They were nothing to do with what he was here to do. Arthur could pull out the retorts about their mother's but it really wasn't worth the effort.

"Hey, Blondie!" Was the last thing Arthur heard as he crossed over the gates into a solitary world. They moved deeper in, going through gate after gate, until they were taken in a room. A table was set out in the centre, one chair on the far side, two on the nearside.

It was some kind of visiting room, which was probably only given the furniture that was needed for each occasion. In the corner was another table and chair, which Arthur guessed was his. He sat down and pulled out a notepad and pencil. Uther and Morgana had sat at the table, Morgana elegantly crossing her legs, and opening a button on her jacket.

He stayed quiet as they brought Cenred out. Arthur had been placed behind his father and Morgana. He knew it was because Uther wanted him no where near this man. Arthur sketched as Cenred walked out. If he had followed in his father's footsteps Arthur knew he would be sat next to Uther. He could be acceptably put in danger.

Arthur moved his pencil to the top of the paper and wrote 'hypocrite' and 'contradictory' at the top of the sheet. It was his father all over. Sometimes he treated Arthur as if he knew nothing of the world, yet as a teenager he had been dragged through incident rooms, read the boards and took in the worst aspects of humanity. Maybe that was why he turned his attention to making people better. People like Merlin.

Without even thinking about what he was doing Arthur started to draw Kilgharrah's head. It brought him back to reality. He was doing this for Merlin. Arthur wasn't here for anything other than that. Understanding Merlin was his only goal and for that, he needed to get an understanding of the man who had destroyed him. Arthur looked up and assessed Cenred, who was gazing at Uther.

"Well, well, hello Detective Chief Superintendent," Cenred said.

"Sit down," Uther said.

"And if I don't want to?" Cenred asked with a smirk.

He knows what's happened, Arthur thought to himself. He knows that's why we're here. Arthur looked at him, taking him every aspect of the man in front of him, he had to force himself under control to stop his hand from sketching what he could see.

Cenred's dark hair trailed over his face. But that didn't make it messy, it just made it very artfully arranged. His hands were cuffed in front of him and he was wearing jeans and a black shirt. The prison officers put him into his seat and he didn't fight despite his question. Instead he shifted to settle himself and look around the room. At that point Arthur kept his head down.

"You can't make me," Cenred said despite the fact the guards had. Arthur snorted, which brought Cenred's attention to him.

"Something to say pretty boy," he asked. Uther's shoulders tensed but Morgana's hand moved to touch his wrist. It was subtle, so Cenred wouldn't see it, but it stilled Uther and he said nothing to prevent Arthur from speaking. Morgana wanted him to. Whatever game she was playing, Arthur made the opening gambit.

"How old are you?" Arthur drawled. Cenred glanced at Uther and then nodded his head in Arthur's direction.

"Who is this?"

"A consultant."

"A shrink," Cenred concluded, looking Arthur up and down. "He looks like a shrink."

"I could be a male model for all you know," Arthur said.

"But what would be the point of that. I know what is going on in the world. Do you think we're cut off here?"

"Do you?" Arthur asked. Cenred screwed up his face, as if he had smelt something highly distasteful.

"He is such a shrink."

"Good for me," Arthur drawled.

"So, I can guess why I am popular all of a sudden."

"You're not that," Arthur said.

"Shut up!" Uther snapped at him, his arm moved to shrug Morgana off.

Arthur put his head back down and shrugged, scribbling a litte. From under lowered brows Arthur watched Cenred's reaction to that. He was watching carefully and Arthur started to make more notes. Uther had carefully kept away any mention of his name and Arthur had done the same. He had just made himself annoying, and of interest. No doubt Cenred would figure it out. Arthur had that on a ten minute window. If they made fifteen then they were doing well. He made a note of the time and wrote his bet in the margin.

"New little murder come up, it's all very interesting," Cenred said.

"Is it?" Morgana asked. Cenred glared at her and then nodded at Arthur.

"Have you been taking lessons from him?"

"No, I can be annoying without any outside help. He's just here to assess you."

"Why do I get the feeling that it isn't just me he's interested in? How is my little boy Merlin?"

Arthur marked a point up to Cenred. He wasn't going to comment, but it was an easy enough connection.

"He's not relevant here," Uther said.

"He's not?" Cenred said. "Well then, you might as well go home. The only reason you want to talk to me has to be because of a lead."

"We need to discuss with you certain elements of a murder that occurred yesterday. Scene of crime evidence, and residual DNA suggest that the cases may be linked. You claimed that you never actually killed the boys you had kidnapped. That would appear to be a good indication that someone else did," Uther said. "Someone who now appears to be working without you."

Cenred said nothing. He looked at Uther, then at Morgana. Arthur tensed as Cenred's gaze met his. He held it. He didn't want to do anything else, he wanted to see this man, really stare at him, and try and see exactly what Merlin saw.

Cenred was tall and broad shouldered, his hair and eyes dark, a scattering of stubble over his jaw and upper lip. He was attractive, in a rugged sort of way. He had never married, and as far as anyone knew, never had a long term relationship. Cenred had worked as some kind of online consultant, from what Arthur knew, using the internet and phone to deal with his clients. A job that kept him alone and separated, no one saw him and he could stay isolated, keeping himself hidden away in the countryside along with his captives. They only had six victims that they knew of, there could be, Arthur decided, far more, who remained unfound.

During the pause Uther opened up the file he was carrying and pulled out several pictures, laying them out in front of Cenred. He stared at them before looking back up.

"These are from the crime scene of this latest murder, another young boy, missing for a week. The attack was frenzied, but we don't know where he was kept, there were burns around his wrists and ankles that appear to indicate that he was restrained for a period of time. Have you ever seen this boy before?" Uther asked Cenred.

He said nothing, instead Cenred glanced at the pictures again and then look up at Uther with wide eyes, a smirk playing around on his lips as if he was trying to control the urge to laugh. Arthur realised, Cenred felt like laughing at them. Uther sat patiently, prepared to wait it out.

The match went on for a minute or so. Arthur watched the three people sat at the table, they were going nowhere, so he decided, despite everything his father had told him, to ignore him. Morgana was of the opinion that Arthur could rattle Cenred. He wasn't quite sure if her faith was well placed, but he wasn't about to go on sitting here, getting nothing.

"How many more are there?" Arthur asked. His father tensed, but didn't look round. Morgana did, winking at him. Cenred glowered at him, his anger rising to the surface. He gave no expressive indication of it, but Arthur could see it smouldering behind his eyes, he could almost see it moving under Cenred's skin trying to push it's way out.

"What?" Cenred growled at him. Arthur waited a moment before saying.

"There was only six victims found that can be connected to you, do you expect us to be that naïve that they were the only ones. How many more were there?"

Cenred huffed and smirked, looking away from Arthur. Arthur dropped his head and added a few lines to his sketch of Kilgharrah, and let the silence fall again.

"Is that it?" Cenred asked his audience.

"Did you take Merlin?" Arthur asked, deciding to go with the one victim he could help. He looked up at Cenred, who had raised his eyebrows. "The information said he left the sandwich bar where he worked when his shift ended at four, and his mother was expecting him home by five. He had even sent her a text to say he had left. Did you kidnap him, or was it this alleged other person?"

Cenred smirked again. "Haven't you seen all the statements and court transcripts?"

Arthur hadn't. His father had only let him see what he needed to know. He wouldn't even be here now except he had found the connection to what was going on, via Merlin. Arthur had managed to get himself into the middle of the situation by accident, but he wasn't about to let Cenred know that.

"I don't care what any statements or transcripts say, I want to hear it from you."

Cenred's smile widened, he shifted in his seat a little, moving so he could focus on Arthur, gazing at him.

"Oh, yes, I took Merlin. I took them all."

Arthur didn't react, but he had an answer to more than one question, that statement told him everything. There was more than six. Probably a lot more. Six was enough, contemplating how many more there might be was something Arthur didn't want to contemplate.

"How?"

"I promised to show him some puppies," Cenred said, smirking as he did so.

"Really? I don't think anyone over the age of five would fall for that line," Arthur said. "Did you know he was twenty-three? That's significantly older than the other boys you showed an interest in. How much research did you do into them, or did you just pick out ones you liked the look of?"

Cenred eyed Arthur for a moment before speaking.

"Do you think age is significant?"

Arthur wrote notes without looking down. It was a method that made his work a little haphazard but it meant he could keep eye contact.

"Considering the way Merlin looks, I'd say you didn't know. He's also the one that lived, did you find out how old he was?"

"Do you think it made a difference?" Cenred said.

"You still treated him the same, he just managed to survive," Arthur said. "So, it didn't matter how old he was?"

"It's not what I usually go for, he looked right enough, and he might have been older, but he was far more innocent." Cenred rolled that word around his mouth, Arthur felt his stomach churn. "None of them, barring Jason, have ever been taken up the arse before but most of them knew enough. Merlin was as pure as the driven snow. Very sweet, I thought."

Arthur gritted his teeth. "You enjoyed that."

"He'd never really been out with anyone, being such a shy little boy. I fucked him on the first night, down in the cellar. It was the look in his eyes when I started to cut him out of his clothes. No one had touched him before in his entire life. Such flawless skin."

The same couldn't be said now, Arthur told himself. Merlin was covered in scars. Without really thinking about it Arthur started to sketch in Kilgharrah's neck, emphasizing the scales. Cenred shifted in his chair, exhaling lightly and Arthur felt his stomach churn as he realised that Cenred had an erection.

"When did you first see him?" Arthur asked. "What was your first impression when you saw him?" Cenred raised his eyebrows.

"I thought he was a pretty little thing. I saw him working in the shop, so I went in, he was waiting on the tables. The shop became quite a favourite of mine."

"No one else there noticed you."

"I guess not, whose going to notice another customer. Although I always left Merlin a very generous tip, I think the attention rather turned his head."

"And you used that to kidnap him?"

"No, for that I used chloroform. Like you said, as he left the shop, I followed him, I knew his route, there's just one quiet little spot by the park, nice and dark. He struggled a little but there's wasn't anything he could do. I got him into the van. It's so very simple," Cenred said.

"And you spent five months abusing him."

"You're a shrink, you probably know how it goes, he put up a fight at first," Cenred said leaning forward in the chair eyes fixed on Arthur. "Then he tried being compliant, so desperately trying to reason with me."

"Then he just stopped didn't he. He just gave up reacting, that was the safest way," Arthur concluded.

Cenred snorted.

"Or did it happen because of that head injury?" Arthur asked.

Cenred glowered.

"That wasn't entirely planned, was it?" Arthur asked. Cenred continued to glare but he didn't answer. Arthur saw his father's shoulders tense again, and Morgana's hand reached out to subtly restrain him again.

"Whoever this other person is, they don't have the same self control that you do. You didn't kill them, you terrorized them, starved them to a point, drugged them and raped them, but you stopped short of killing them. That shouldn't make them difficult to catch."

"And what would you know?" Cenred asked.

Arthur shrugged. "Was it after that injury? Did he stop reacting to you after that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"That's why I'm asking," Arthur said. "How flattering were you? When you were sizing him up?"

"Does that bother you?"

Arthur tensed his jaw. "Yes, it does, because that's what you were doing, when you saw the ones you chose. Did you watch them and imagine what you were going to do to them?"

"Sometimes," Cenred said.

"Did the reality live up to the fantasy?" Arthur said.

Cenred smirked at him, but said nothing.

"Enough," Uther snapped. "Do you recognise this boy?"

Cenred looked at the picture that Uther shifted into the centre. After a moment, Cenred looked up.

"No, I do not."

"That's all I want to know," Uther said.

Cenred shrugged. "I'm sure it is," he said as, at a signal from Uther, the guard moved forward to hoist him up from the seat. Cenred allowed himself to be pulled up, and then he turned his gaze back in Arthur's direction.

"Do give Merlin my love, Dr Pendragon."

When the door closed on Cenred and the guard Arthur gave a heavy sigh.

"Shit. He knew who I was the whole time. Tell me something," Arthur asked, looking up at the guard who was still in the room with them.

"Does he still have access to a computer?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

When he got back to the hospital Arthur got out of the car, walking away from it as swiftly as possible. The journey back had been filled with tension, none of them saying anything about what had occurred.

Arthur felt absolutely filthy the whole way back, as if something from the prison had latched onto him, crawling over him. But he didn't think it could be soothed as easily as going for a long hot shower. Whatever he was feeling went deeper than that. As he got out of the car he checked his watch, the residents would just be finishing dinner. Arthur wanted to see Merlin.

Most definitely he wanted to get away from his father. Uther was seething, and Arthur got the feeling he was the cause.

"Arthur," his father followed him around the building to the staff area. The main reception was closed up, no one but the late shift staff and the residents were in the building at this time. Arthur paused, unsure if he wanted to open the door with Uther on his tail.

"You did well today."

Arthur blinked in surprise. "You told me not to talk to him."

"And I knew you'd ignore me. Morgana's right, you can rattle him."

"I don't think I did a very good job. I just…" Arthur paused, fiddling with the keys as he thought about it. "I just wanted to look in him the eye. I just wanted to see if I could try and imagine what Merlin saw."

"Did you?" Uther asked.

"Yes, I think so," Arthur said.

"Do you think he has any connection to this new murder?"

"Not directly, there was no way he could orchestrate anything, but he did all the other kidnappings, he kept the boys. Maybe that phrasing has more significance than you thought. He was keeping them, but keeping them for what?"

"You think that is where the other person comes into the equation?"

"I'm not sure," Arthur said.

"I hate to ask it, but the only person who might be able to identify this person for us is Merlin."

"I know," Arthur sighed, getting the feeling his father had played him almost as well as Cenred had today. "I know."


	8. Chapter 8

The residents were still in the dining room when Arthur got into the building. Uther had offered to drive him home, going so far as to offer to take him to Igraine's. Arthur, however, refused. Since he was on call anyway, he decided to stay at the hospital. He could use the showers there and sleep in one of the rooms in the resident's wing. Arthur just wanted to make sure Merlin was all right. Spending time with Merlin would soothe how he felt after today.

Merlin sat at a table with Elena and Vivian. The other residents were scattered around the other tables and none of them reacted to Arthur's entrance. Except Percival, who raised his eyebrows in greeting but did nothing further, instead he carried on eating his apple crumble. Elena was trying to get a little more into Merlin, but she paused as she saw Arthur.

"Hi, are you all right?"

"Yeah, how's everything going here?"

"Not too bad, Merlin has seemed a little out of sorts, he didn't eat much lunch," Elena said.

"How much has he had tonight?"

"He ate most of his fish and chips and he normally likes the crumble."

"Let me have a go," Arthur said. Elena put the spoon back in the bowl and shifted round to the chair on the far side so Arthur could take the space next to Merlin. On Merlin's other side Vivian shoved her pudding around the bowl, easing the topping away from the apple and picking out bits of fruit. Arthur got a small spoonful and offered it to Merlin.

"Just a little more, Merlin."

Merlin opened his mouth enough to comply with Arthur's request. Elena watched with interest, cupping her chin in her hands. Vivian poked a little more.

"Vivian," Arthur said in warning as Merlin took another mouthful. She looked up at glared at him.

"Oh, for God's sake, I just don't like puddings, if you're going to make me have anything let me have cheese and biscuits. I've never liked sweet stuff."

"You don't mind fruit," Arthur said.

"Yes, when it's not been hashed about." She eyed the pudding with distaste.

"She ate everything else," Elena said in Vivian's defence.

"All right, leave it," Arthur said.

"What are you doing back anyway?" Vivian said rudely.

"I'm on call tonight," Arthur said, getting another spoonful into Merlin, with enough of a hint from his patient that any more would have to be force fed. Arthur left it sensing that Merlin, although giving nothing much away, wasn't very happy.

"You don't usually stay," Vivian said.

"I am tonight," Arthur said. "I'll take Merlin back upstairs, since he's a bit unsettled. I'll sort him out, if you want to deal with everyone else."

"No worries, Lancelot has taken an extra shift, so he will be on nights this week and Gaius has upped Olwen's shifts so he can be around during the day."

"Okay," Arthur said. He got up and drew Merlin with him. Merlin stood up and moved with Arthur.

"Gaius is still about, I think he was waiting for you to get back. There are a few things he wants to catch up with you about," Elena said, rolling her eyes in Percival's direction. If Percival was aware of it he gave no sign, he just carried on eating. Judging by where his eyes roamed his only interest was Vivian's discarded pudding.

"Can you let him know I'm back, and just tell him where I am?"

"Sure, no problem," Elena said.

Arthur left them to it, leading Merlin along the corridor to the small lift that had been installed when the building had been converted. It creaked and clanked a little, and Arthur didn't really like using it. Most people only did if they had to, however with Merlin not being entirely co-ordinated it was better that than making him use the stairs.

Upstairs Arthur settled Merlin on the bed and perched next to him. He could feel the tension in Merlin, and as Arthur gently touched his hand he felt the subtle movement. Arthur had taken Elena's advice to leave a sketch pad in the room, so it was easy to get something from Merlin if the opportunity arose.

"What's the matter Merlin? Was it yesterday, you don't need to worry about that now. I'm going to stay around tonight, so you'll be fine, and Lancelot is going to be here as well."

He got the pencil into Merlin's hand and it started to move. Merlin blinked several times, and it seemed more than reflex. Arthur watched him intently, wondering if Merlin was trying to clear his view of whatever he was seeing. As he glanced down at the sketch Arthur blinked in surprise. It was a rough drawing, Merlin was almost rushing to get it out, the lines developing swiftly. But it was still clear what the subject was. Arthur stared down at his own image. It was him, without a doubt.

"What's the matter Merlin?" Arthur said. "What? What about me?"

That just seemed to agitate Merlin further. His hand moved with increasing speed as he started to form a dark image on the paper to the left of Arthur's portrait. It took the entire length of the paper, Merlin's hand sketching up towards the top left hand corner, almost implying that the darkness was leaning over him.

"Merlin, I'm okay, I'm fine, I'm right here. I guess it's just been a bit of a bad day."

He reached out to steady Merlin's hand as the sketching reached what seemed to be a peak of anxiety. As Arthur gently wrapped his hand around Merlin's he stopped sketching. The pencil tilted a little as Merlin relaxed his grip, which could have been nothing more than reflex, except Arthur was fairly certain he didn't imagine the next bit as Merlin's fingers moved, gently brushing against his own. Merlin applied enough pressure to convince Arthur that he really wasn't imagining it.

"Hey, come on, Merlin, it's all right."

Arthur shuffled a little closer, putting his other arm around Merlin and tightening his grip on Merlin's hand. He felt Merlin relax, easing his body back into it's usual state. Arthur hugged Merlin tightly, glancing down at the sketch again. Merlin had perceived some kind of threat to him, but Arthur wasn't sure what it meant. Then again, Merlin had witnessed a murder when in all theory was impossible for him to have done so, and Arthur remembered the story that Hunith had told him about Merlin knowing that Will was seriously ill. That surely made it possible to believe that Merlin knew exactly where Arthur had been.

He didn't really want to bring the subject of Cenred up, not while Merlin was so badly shaken. Arthur didn't feel like talking about him and although Merlin's moods were often easy to read, it didn't really give him much indication of how Merlin felt deep down. It was unsettling to think that Merlin knew where he had been, and probably why.

"Merlin, everything's fine okay. Nothing bad happened."

Merlin's hand tightened in his and Arthur hugged Merlin closer. The other man relaxed against him. Arthur held onto him, his face pressing into Merlin's hair and Arthur heard him exhale heavily.

"I'm sorry Merlin, I just had to go today. I didn't want to upset you."

He still couldn't be entirely sure that was the reason Merlin was upset. All he had to go on was the picture, which he couldn't ignore. Merlin however, seemed to accept the apology. His hand moved, clenching harder against Arthur's and he felt Merlin's body weight press against him.

"I just had to look him in the eyes. Is that how you see him Merlin?" Arthur asked, tilting his head so he could look down at the drawing. "Is that how you retreated?"

He didn't get any answer. Merlin's face was as blank as ever, his eyes remote. Arthur frowned as he pulled back, running his fingers through Merlin's hair. Very slowly Arthur extracted his hand and the pencil from Merlin's grip, sliding the sketch pad off his lap. Then he turned the page and settled Merlin's hand back, giving him the pencil again.

"Is there anything else Merlin?" Arthur asked.

He wasn't surprised when Merlin didn't react to him. Not that it mattered, Arthur thought, as he moved the sketch pad over to his own lap and flipped the page back to look at his picture again. There was no mistaking it was him, which meant that Merlin was aware of him. He turned Merlin's head, his eyes were remaining unfocused but his iris' were a deep clear blue.

"Merlin?" Arthur gently eased up Merlin's right eyelid. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with his eyes, but Arthur decided that, in Merlin's case, didn't entirely mean anything. His contemplation was interrupted by footsteps outside, causing the old floorboards to creak. Gaius appeared in the doorway to Merlin's room.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I think. Merlin, I need to talk to Gaius, I'm going to be just outside the door, all right, not far away."

He moved Merlin's head back into a more comfortable position, and took the sketch pad with him as he stepped beyond the door, positioning himself in the corridor so he was in Merlin's line of sight. Percival was lingering in the doorway of his room. Arthur frowned as he looked at him.

"Hi," Percival said.

"This is…" Gaius started.

"Percival," Arthur finished. "We've met."

"Of course," Gaius said. "In that case I hardly need introduce you, and you know why he's here."

"Why the hell has he called you?" Arthur asked Percival.

"I've not been around, I had nothing to do with the other investigation, I've been in Spain since March, therefore I am not on anyone's radar."

That didn't, Gaius thought, sound like the entire explanation. It appeared that Arthur thought the same as he scowled.

"I'm just doing a favour," Percival said. "And you know I can do this."

Arthur had to concede that. "True, we really won't have to worry about Merlin's safety."

"Considering his history, why he left the police and his previous career in the army, I've placed him in the register as suffering post-traumatic stress syndrome," Gaius said, not looking entirely convinced that Percival could suffer from the condition.

"I know you were shot in that armed robbery, I don't know the rest," Arthur confessed. Percival shrugged, they all paused talking as Vivian wandered past, halfway though eating a banana, which she waved at Arthur.

"See," she announced. "I'm off to watch television."

"Thank you, Vivian," Arthur drawled as she stalked off down the corridor. Gaius frowned at him.

"She wasn't eating her pudding," Arthur explained.

"Oh."

"I finished it off," Percival said.

"Don't do that unless we know about it, she's on a strict diet," Gaius warned him. Percival watched her retreating figure.

"Why?"

"Because she's meant to be putting on weight," Arthur said. "Although she has stopped hiding stuff and pretending to eat it, but she's let other people finish off things for her and tried to make us believe she's had it."

"Oh, right," Percival said.

"Normally we wouldn't discuss any of this with you, but since you may be here a while you'll find out why each person is here. The general rule we have is you don't discuss any more than the person in question wants to talk about, and not behind their back," Gaius informed him.

"I wouldn't do that anyway," Percival said.

"The main point we wanted to wait to ask you is how much you want to tell Merlin?" Gaius said to Arthur.

Arthur sighed. "Unfortunately, we can't make the mistake of thinking Merlin's stupid, or not paying attention. I might not have told him what I was doing today, but I get the feeling he knew."

Saying that he handed over the sketch pad, with the drawing of himself on it, Gaius raised his eyebrows as he looked at it.

"What's all that shadowing?"

"As far as I can tell, Merlin's perceiving some kind of threat, and that can only mean Cenred. He just must have known, or figured it out somehow, nobody's said anything to him today have they?"

"Not to my knowledge. Elena's been with him most of the time, and I doubt she would have done that," Gaius said. "He knew a murder was going on the other night, we can't consider him knowing your whereabouts inconceivable."

Arthur nodded. "The other thing is we also can't assume that catatonic means stupid. He's aware of us, there is a good chance he'll work out what Percival is doing here. Maybe it's better we tell him."

"It might make him feel better," Percival suggested. "I'll do it whichever way you decide, but it's going to be easier if I can be around him."

"I think we tell him," Arthur said.

"I was going to go with your opinion," Gaius said. "But if you had asked my advice, I would have said to tell him as well."

"Come on," Arthur said, heading back into Merlin's room. Merlin hadn't moved, not obviously, but his head had tilted so he could keep an eye on the door and he blinked as Arthur moved closer to him, crouching down in front of him. Gaius and Percival followed, both of them watching the interaction carefully.

"Merlin, this is Percival," Arthur said, glancing in the larger man's direction.

"Hi Merlin," Percival said.

"He's going to be staying here for a bit, to make sure you're all right, after the break-in yesterday. My father hired him, he's going to pretend to be a patient here so he can keep an eye on things. Okay Merlin?"

There was a pause and Arthur felt Merlin's hand move in his own again, his knuckles brushing against the palm of Arthur's hand. Arthur reached for the sketch pad again, opening it on a fresh page and getting the pencil into Merlin's hand. Merlin slowly started to draw, he was less frantic this time, but the subject of his drawing was one he had covered previously. He drew another picture of the strange indistinct background which Arthur had yet to work out. He knelt on the floor and patiently watched as Merlin's hand moved. Percival and Gaius watched with interest.

"So this is what he's been doing to communicate?" Percival asked. "That's what your father said."

"Yeah, he doesn't always do it, and it's not always clear," Arthur said.

"And he only does it for Arthur. Elena tried today, while he was unsettled and she got no response out of him."

"There's no harm in others trying," Arthur said. "Merlin, is this how you're seeing whatever it is?"

Merlin's hand paused, then his grip relaxed and he released the pencil.

"What does that mean?" Percival asked.

"I think it means he isn't going to bother because I don't understand what he means. Merlin, I don't know what this is."

Percival shuffled sideways so he could peer over Merlin's shoulder. There was a slight shifting in Merlin's tension, Arthur felt it but he got the feeling that Percival didn't realise.

"A background? A place."

"That's all I can guess. It's like he doesn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, or can't put them together. I need to compare this with the other one he did, and maybe ask my father if he can see any connection."

Percival leant in a little closer. "Maybe Merlin couldn't see it clearly."

Arthur moved the pad so he could look at it from a better angle. "I guess."

"Is that like a water tower or something?" Percival asked, pointing to a peak in the landscape. "Or a very strange tree?"

"No, idea," Arthur asked, glancing up at Merlin's impassive face. "What on Earth are you trying to tell me?"

Percival straightened up and shrugged. "Give it time, you'll probably work it out."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It had sparked a train of thought in Arthur, which he was still musing over the following Tuesday, while he spent the morning at art class, not really concentrating on what he was doing. They had started working on portraits, and Arthur had, as he had threatened to do so, made Igraine the subject of his project.

He had made her sit on the terrace of the house the previous Sunday and sketched her from every angle, adding in a little background. Once he had finished that he had carefully packed up the drawings to bring into the class.

Now he was trying to work on the main portrait, and Arthur didn't feel like he was getting very far with it. He couldn't decide which angle to use, what sort of background he wanted. By the end of the session he didn't feel as relaxed and settled as he usually did, instead he felt worse than he had when he started. That was something of an unusual scenario. Catrina, the art teacher paused to look at what he had done. Most of the other students had packed up and were on their way.

"It's good Arthur, who is that?"

"My mother," Arthur said. "And what's the but?"

"Sorry," Catrina said.

"When you said it was good, you made it sound like you were going to say 'but'."

Catrina tilted her head, tucking several strands of her long brown hair behind her ears and she stared at the portrait with a frown on her face. Arthur looked at the portrait again, trying to guess what Catrina was thinking. So far he had just sketched in the outline, and a vague section of background. He had thought the honeysuckle that ran up the terrace might be a good feature and he had distracted himself from the main subject by adding in a few bees.

"It's a good start," Catrina said.

"Again, there is that hint you are going to say 'but'."

"And I'm not sure what it is. Technically it's good, I can't ever really fault anything you do."

Arthur paused, still waiting for the 'but'. It wasn't immediately forthcoming, but as Catrina said it, Arthur knew it made perfect sense.

"But, it seems to me that she isn't who you want to draw."

It startled Arthur a little, but he glanced at the picture, and the fact that he had concentrated on the background more than the main subject seemed to be what Catrina was getting at.

"Maybe," Arthur said slowly. Catrina smirked at him.

"You may need to change your subject," she suggested before glancing at her watch and looking around. "Sorry, I need to get ready for my next group. Have a think about it for next week," she advised, gently squeezing his arm before heading off, moving equipment around to make more space, her second class that morning would be bigger. Arthur slowly packed up his things, hefting his bag and tucking the board to which the drawing was taped to under his arm. He headed off out of the building, his mind still clouded with other thoughts as he passed the group of giggling girls who were eyeing him with interest. They didn't even register in Arthur's mind. He wasn't particularly arrogant but he knew he got stared at so he guessed he was fairly good looking, and it always made him feel confident when he registered it.

What was on his mind obliterated anything else as he put his bag on the backseat of his car and propped the picture next to it. Catrina was right, the thought nagging at Arthur. Igraine wasn't who he really wanted to draw. She would have been his first choice, without any doubt, if Merlin hadn't come along. That was who he really wanted to use for the subject. It was Merlin.

Someone whose face never really changed expression, yet he still managed to convey so much. Arthur could already imagine the portrait in his head, which was probably why he wasn't doing very well trying to use Igraine as the subject. He could see Merlin, so pale and vulnerable, but purveying that subtle strength that seemed to come from him. There would certainly need to be a dragon in the picture somewhere as well.

He slammed the back door and opened the driver's door to clamber in, telling himself firmly that he could not use Merlin. It would be entirely unethical to draw Merlin while he couldn't give his consent, even if Arthur could get a sense of Merlin's feelings about it, it still was not a clear answer. It left him feeling angry and somewhat frustrated because he knew that as much as he tried, his mother's portrait would lack whatever it was that gave his work a spark. It was the thing that meant he enjoyed it, there was a life to it which he could just seem to push into whatever he drew. The short sketch he had started after that awful night, while Merlin had slept peacefully, Arthur had thought to be one of the best things he had ever done. Merlin's face as he been so calm and peaceful in sleep made Arthur wonder what lay behind that facade. What had made Merlin pull back, so deeply into his mind to freeze his body so dramatically?

Arthur shook his head and started the engine, glancing at the clock as the radio kicked into life. He had a busy day ahead, he was due at the monthly meeting with Nimueh and Gaius and he wanted time to catch up on some paperwork. He still had his sessions with some of his residents but he had decided for his time dealing with the admin backlog he would either go up to Merlin's room or bring Merlin down to be with him, for just a little while. There was something he wanted to think about when it came to Merlin. The management meeting was the perfect place to start.

It was time to rule things out.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Every month Gaius, Arthur and Nimueh sat down to a discussion about the goings on in the annexe. Arthur and Nimueh had their assigned patients but as the facility was so small things overlapped, they were there for each others patients when necessary, and they sometimes saw things that the other didn't. During the monthly meeting they hashed out the details of the running communication between them. This time it just happened to be that morning, and Arthur could announce what was on his mind.

"That would possibly bring his assessment forward," Gaius warned. Arthur nodded, glancing at both him and Nimueh as they listened to him.

"I know, but considering what has occurred I think we need to start ruling out facts," Arthur said, he looked around nervously, more at Nimueh than Gaius. She was examining the photocopies of the pictures that Merlin had drawn. Arthur had made sure that the latest few had got to his father, with his notes. Merlin was seeing some things very clearly, others looked blurred.

"Considering the circumstances, I don't see why we can't send him for an early brain scan and see the optometrist. Some of these pictures are as if he is not seeing them clearly. Perhaps that is nothing to do with his intuition, and if we are looking at that, then we need to do the brain scan. Most of those are ambivalent."

"It would be a bad idea to cite the reasoning," Nimueh said.

"I know that. We are going to have to write up that he is communicating, some of these pictures are blurred, we could argue we want to check that his eyesight is okay. We don't need to put all the pictures into the report. My father won't allow us some. Besides, we're being left deal with him, we've never been questioned for requests like this before."

"No," Nimueh said carefully stacking the papers. "And don't get me wrong, we cannot deny the fact, he drew that murder when it was happening. I am one to state things as I see them, and that one Merlin put there right in front of us. All I'm saying is we just need to voice concerns for his welfare. An eye check and reactions as such were not done, we are considering it necessary. We tell them no more than that, and see what we get."

Arthur nodded.

"I can phone up to the hospital in the morning," Gaius said, concluding the discussion. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, Vivian is complaining about puddings. She has gone to the stage of announcing she doesn't actually like them," Arthur said.

"When was this?" Nimueh asked.

"Only the other day, I haven't seen you since. She actually said she didn't like desserts and would prefer cheese and biscuits."

"So I need to discuss a change of diet with her?" Nimueh said. "Maybe that option."

"Or fruit if it's not been hashed about. I know we still need to make sure she gains weight, and she's fought us every step of the way. Perhaps now it's starting to dawn on her," Arthur said.

"Could be, I'll put that into our next session. The only other thing of note is this."

Nimueh put the small packet of power on the table, almost treating it as if it was an unexploded bomb.

"Where did you get that?"

"Our new security Percival found it tied to one of the bushes. I'll give him his due, he seems to know what he is looking for. You are going to have to talk to Gilli, again."

"I told him this time would be the last time, I'd get him removed."

"Arthur, you have angled at that threat for the last four times this has happened. I am sorry, but I have to insist you crack down on him. He does not want the help we are offering, we have to accept that and get him out."

"I know, but I don't like it."

Nimueh shrugged. "I can do the conversation if you want."

"No, he's down as my patient, I can do it. I just don't have to like it."

"There are times Arthur, when you know you have to just let it go," Gaius said.

"I know, I know. I'll do it this afternoon," Arthur said.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

By the end of the day Arthur really did want to spend time with Merlin. Lancelot brought him down to Arthur's office, complete with Kilgharrah.

"He wouldn't let me take him," Lancelot explained as he settled Merlin in the chair by Arthur's desk.

"That's all right, if he wants to keep hold of him, let him. Are you feeling all right Merlin?"

Arthur got up, moving closer to Merlin. Lancelot carefully retreated. Arthur reached out and took gentle hold of Merlin's forearm. The tension in Merlin's muscles increased.

"I'm not going to take Kilgharrah," Arthur reassured him. "Let me just look at your wrists."

He eased up Merlin's sleeve and looked at the scarring. It was less prominent, but it was something Merlin was going to have for the rest of his life.

"Do you want me to come back and collect him?" Lancelot asked, lingering by the door. Arthur debated that, glancing at the huge pile of paperwork he had to get through. It would have been nice to have Merlin with him while he did it, but he didn't want to start treating him like an ornament he needed to have in the room with him. Arthur glanced at his watch, it was almost three thirty. Merlin was due to have his dinner about six.

"Why don't you come and get him in a couple of hours, he can keep me company, or I can keep him company for a bit."

"Okay, I don't like leaving him on his own either. Percival's done his bit with him this afternoon, they've been in the common room watching soap operas."

Arthur snorted with laughter, Lancelot shrugged. "I need to go out and pick up another batch of medication and Elyan said we need more lightbulbs, do you want anything?"

"Actually you could get some more of this oil, from wherever Gwen got it. We're running a bit low."

"I'm fairly certain she bought a couple of bottles of that, but I'll get some more anyway. Oh, and Elyan is going to bring some of those door alarm things for the fire doors. They're not too noisy but it might help as a minor precaution. He said he'd come down tomorrow to do it."

"Sounds better than nothing," Arthur said. There was a light click as Lancelot left the room and Arthur sat back on his heels, looking up at Merlin. Merlin stared off into the distance. Arthur carefully reached up to move the red material around Merlin's neck to look at the scarring there. Merlin swallowed as Arthur's fingers brushed over the rough skin.

"Sorry," he said to Merlin. "You don't really like being touched there at all. I think we'll not bother trying to use the oil on that, you like the scarves anyway, don't you."

Arthur tided up Merlin's red neckerchief and slowly stood up.

"You don't mind keeping me company while I work? I've got a ton of boring admin to do."

He got no response but Arthur felt that Merlin didn't mind, and that he did actually like spending time with Arthur. Arthur settled himself, talking as he worked. Sometimes he talked about the work, sometimes he talked about Merlin. He knew Merlin wouldn't response, not in the conventional sense anyway, but it might help guide Merlin's sketching, so he could tell Arthur what Arthur wanted to know.

"Your mother said you did that though, sort of passed feelings on to people, maybe that's what you are doing now, I always seem to get an idea of how you're feeling. Everyone does I think. We know when your content, when you're upset, it that what you're doing?"

Arthur finished off working through some of the budget information Gaius had off-loaded onto him and looked up. Arthur wasn't quite sure why he picked that moment but the first thing he noticed was Kilgharrah tilting in Merlin's hands, as if he was going to drop him. Arthur immediately doubted that Merlin would, but he had also lifted Kilgharrah off his lap. Arthur got up, not sure what he was going to do but Merlin's arms moved towards him, handing Kilgharrah to him. Arthur took him, the reaction automatic, but it was one of Merlin's clearest voluntary movements, outside of his drawing. Arthur carefully put Kilgharrah down and picked up his ever present sketchpad, putting it on Merlin's lap. Merlin's right hand went straight down onto it. Arthur turned and scrabbled on his desk for a pencil. The one he found was broken.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Arthur snapped irritably. In the end he rummaged under the sheets of notes and found a biro. He scribbled on a nearby post-it note that Lancelot had left on there reminding Arthur that Freya had rung and wanted to talk to him about a project for her coursework, getting the pen to work before he handed it to Merlin.

"I dare say that will do, what do you want to tell me Merlin?"

Merlin set off sketching, the pen nib scratched on the paper a little harder than a pencil would. While Merlin worked Arthur carried on his hunt for an unbroken pencil, or a pencil sharpener. After a few minutes of desperate, curse filled, rummaging Arthur concluded both items were sorely missing from his office.

"Sorry, Merlin, you'll have to manage with the pen," he informed him as Merlin continued to scratch the nib against the paper. Arthur sat on the desk, moving Kilgharrah onto the budget file so he had space to perch and watch Merlin work. From the start of the sketch it was obvious Merlin was drawing a person, Arthur waited while he worked, Merlin's hand moving frantically as he breathed heavily almost panting, blinking rapidly as if he was trying to clear his vision.

Arthur waited tensely, speaking encouragingly, but trying not to rush Merlin too much. The boy's face as it developed was Merlin's focus, he wanted the sketch to be recognisable. The pen had made it a little smeary, blobs of ink dotting on the page smudging as Merlin's hand brushed over them. But in the end he got the drawing done, and stopped when he had finished. Arthur took the pen and hurled it into the bin before carefully moving Merlin's ink smeared hand and removing the pad from his lap looking at the picture. Again the youth looked to be in his late teens, the face clear and hopefully recognisable to someone.

"That's good Merlin, let's see what we can do with this now."

He picked up the phone on his desk and dialled, after a moment's tension as the phone rang it was picked up.

"Gwaine, it's Arthur, is my dad there."

"No, he's been out for most of the day, what's up?"

"Merlin's drawn another picture, if I fax it over can you tell me if it's one of the other victims, or is it someone else."

"Yep, send it over now and I'll call you back."

"Right," Arthur said, not even bothering to say goodbye before he hung up, dialled the incident room fax number and ran the picture through the machine. He just hoped that it went through the machine clearly so Gwaine could do something with it. The answer to that was clearly yes as he rang Arthur back within a minute of him sending the fax. Arthur had been handing Kilgharrah back to Merlin, the dragon being the one thing that seemed to comfort Merlin. However, instead of taking the toy, Merlin's hand slid into Arthur's.

It surprised Arthur, but he kept his hand in Merlin's as he put Kilgharrah back on the desk and picked up the phone.

"Gwaine?"

"Got it, and no, it's not a picture of any of the known victims. I'm going to let your father know and fax this to Leon, he's been working on those have you seen this teenager things in the paper, he'll probably be quicker than trying to go through missing persons. If it's recent Leon will know."

"Okay, what if it's not?"

"Then we may confirm your theory, that the six are not the only ones," Gwaine said, and for once, he didn't sound particularly cheery.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur held Merlin's hand for a little while longer, talking to him and trying to reassure him. When Lancelot came to collect Merlin for his dinner Arthur tailed along like a lost puppy. Common sense told him that he should go home and get changed and settle down for the night, rather than staying at the hospital again, but he didn't want to leave Merlin.

In the end he did realise he was getting in the way so he skulked off back to his office, finished what he was trying to do, and wondered if he was getting a little too involved with his newest patient. Arthur found that he couldn't really help it, he just reacted to Merlin.

Arthur concluded he could wait until Merlin was sleeping and then go home and sort himself out. Which was when his mobile rang, which Arthur answered immediately.

"Dad, Gwaine spoke to you?"

"Yes, he did, Leon got a result."

"Oh," Arthur said, slowly sitting down at his desk, rubbing his forehead. "How recent?"

"Very, he was reported missing yesterday, the station had taken the details and a photograph. Leon went through them after Gwaine passed the fax onto him."

"So, Merlin is seeing this again," Arthur sighed. "What do we do now?"

"This person is going to continue operating, and the only way we can get a lead is by talking to the one person who knows this individual."

"Cenred," Arthur said, trying to contain a shiver.

"I've contacted the prison, and he's willing to have another meeting, there's just one thing."

What's that?" Arthur asked, lifting his head, a cold sensation gently settling into his stomach. Uther gave a short pause, which did nothing to ease the feeling of dread that was mounting in Arthur.

"I got the message about half an hour ago. He says the only person he'll talk to is you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it took a while, it wasn't that easy to get this bit done... **

"Why me?" Arthur asked the question out loud this time, after asking himself, just in his head, for about a million times. When they arrived at the prison it was early morning, and thankfully no prisoners were moving around the yard. Uther took the lead again, and he had, for some reason, employed Leon to drive them.

Arthur felt exhausted from the drive. Uther hadn't wanted to waste time, so he had insisted on an early start. There was a possibility that they could find this boy alive, if they managed to get enough information out of Cenred. Arthur tried not to freak out at the responsibility. He was good at what he did, but he was used to taking months in dealing with people's problems, building up a rapport with them, helping them along. The people he treated were usually willing, wanting to help themselves. This was an entirely different scenario. It was an interrogation not a therapy session. Arthur didn't think he was really ready for it, but on the flip side, he had just a strong a feeling that he couldn't refuse to do it. If he was the only person that Cenred would talk to then he had to be the one that did it.

There was something of an obligation in it. Especially as there was someone missing, a boy that Merlin had identified, and whose life was in danger. That was the reason Merlin had drawn it. To tell Arthur what he needed to know. Arthur's mind calculated if this scenario was also something to do with Merlin's recovery. He knew this person, Merlin had to have encountered them, he was the longest incarcerated with Cenred, and when he had been rescued he had been attached to someone who had been murdered, and more than likely that had occurred while the two boys had been tethered together.

Arthur couldn't even begin to imagine the type of person that could do that. Cenred had not killed the boys, Arthur was certain about that, but he knew who had. The man talked carefully, easing round a subject, giving hints to the truth, diverting the conversation and sliding reality in around whatever fantasy he had built. Arthur had to brace himself to hear the details about what had been done. He might have been able to cope with it, if it was nothing more than theory to him, facts on paper. But it no longer was, now there was Merlin occupying a room in the hospital, to be assessed by him, needing care and protection. If it hadn't been for all of this; Merlin's desperate attempt to communicate, the sudden twist in a case that seemed to be solved, Arthur would have been of the opinion that Merlin was lost to the world, and would need to be cared for permanently. Arthur couldn't put it aside now, his opinion was that Merlin was entirely conscious of what was going on around him, but more than that. Arthur got the feeling that if this other person was found then Merlin could somehow get out of his nightmare. Arthur had tried to get Merlin to draw a likeness of this person but all his patient drew was dark shadowing.

It bothered him, but he knew it couldn't be so simple as Merlin giving them the answers. There was no way to really find out what was happening in Merlin's head. Arthur remained convinced that Merlin was desperately trying to help them. What had been done to him was limiting him. Arthur had been debating it since he had woken up, there wasn't much else to do on the drive but think. Leon had done nothing more than concentrate on the road and Uther had slept or read the paper. Arthur had just sat watching the countryside pass by and thought, or rather he let the thoughts drift through his mind, without much direction, until they slowly started to come together.

"Leon?" Arthur murmured, as they waited to pass through into the secure unit. Leon was staying behind, and waiting in a visiting room.

"What?"

"While you're sat here, could you go through some of the reports, on the boys, see if there is any mention of them being… intuitive, or instinctive."

"How do you mean?" Leon said, looking and sounding confused. Arthur gritted his teeth.

"Similar to Merlin," Arthur said, not wanting to be too obvious with the prison guards getting ready to escort them in. Leon's frown deepened and Arthur raised his eyebrows. Understanding slowly started to dawn on Leon's face, and his jaw dropped a fraction.

"Oh, oh, I see," Leon said.

"Good, just look for any comment in passing, or not in passing, just anything. Even just a hint."

"Right okay," Leon said.

"Arthur," Uther called him to attention as the guards opened the door and they entered the room that they had been in last time. The main table had two chairs, sitting on opposite sides. And the smaller table that Arthur had occupied last time was set up for Uther. Arthur eyed the table nervously, it was all that was between him and the man who had tortured at least six youths, and gave enough hints as to more.

Slowly Arthur took his place at the main table and put his writing pad and sketch pad out and had a pen and pencil on the table. At the far right side Arthur put down the fat file that his father had given him, with all the information he might need to refer to, including some pictures to show Cenred. It took a huge amount of effort not to fidget, play with the pen, or sketch something. He was almost turning to a default, he wanted to draw Merlin and if his moral conscience got to him in time he sketched Kilgharrah. Arthur exhaled gently and turned to look at his father. Uther met his eyes, there was nothing on the table in front of him. All the senior Pendragon wanted to do was keep an eye on his son, he wanted to protect him from this.

"You're such a hypocrite," Arthur said.

"In what way?" Uther rumbled.

"You want to protect me from all this, and you wanted it to be my career, to follow in your footsteps."

"And you don't think that sometimes I feel grateful that you didn't."

"I don't know, you'd never tell me."

"You've never asked."

"Dad, that is just childish," Arthur said.

"You started it," Uther informed him. Arthur rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help the smile that was forming. Uther smiled back, the odd, almost baffled, affectionate smile that Uther sometimes bestowed on his son. Despite Uther's attachment to many of the younger members of his police team, Arthur knew he was the only recipient of that smile. Not even his mother ever received that look.

They both stopped smiling and tensed as the door on the far side of the room gave a heavy click, the sound echoing heavily as the lock on the metal door was turned. Another one followed, sounding heavy. Arthur sat back and took a deep breath, looking at the equipment he had laid out in front of him and he wondered it if was over the top. Uther would have just had the file, trying to threaten and intimidate to get the answers. Arthur just couldn't work like that, he was rubbish at that sort of thing, he was used to lists and methodical working. He was the one that had been bullied at school, not that Uther knew anything about it, even though he was the cause. Being the son of a high ranking policeman did not make for the easiest of lives.

Arthur's eyes fixed on the door as it opened and Cenred was led in. Two guards accompanied him, one ahead and one behind him. The one that led escorted Cenred to the table, while the other lingered by the door. Again Cenred was handcuffed, his clothes dark as was the stubble around his jaw and his hair trailed into his face, all of it looking very carefully arranged. He said nothing as the guard put him into the chair, but he kept his eyes on Arthur, the gaze steady and intense. Arthur met it, but then Cenred's gaze moved, looking Arthur up and down and it took a good deal of effort for Arthur to not squirm.

He guessed that he wasn't exactly being mentally undressed as Cenred's eyes assessed him. Arthur's spine tingled as he realised that Cenred was imagining what Arthur had looked like as a teenager, which would lead Cenred's mind on further. Arthur clenched his jaw and waited until Cenred's eyes finally levelled on his again, filled with sparks of lust. His stomach churned as he saw the glitter in the other man's eyes and Arthur knew he wasn't wrong. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and it took all of his self control to keep himself still and purvey some level of confidence. He was out of his depth, this was not his area of expertise and Arthur got the feeling that it was eventually going to show. Cenred probably already knew it. This was just another part to his game, the only reason he wanted Arthur was because he was a lead to Merlin.

What did Merlin have that Cenred wanted, aside from the obvious? What did the other person want that warranted Merlin's survival? Arthur had never seen it like that until that moment. They could be looking at this situation in the wrong way. Cenred smirked as he looked at Arthur, who wasn't hiding his discomfort as much as he thought he was. It was clear to everyone in the room that Arthur wasn't happy with the situation. Arthur eventually pulled himself together, shifted his pads about and moved the file to a more prominent position on the table. Cenred just watched him, a smug smirk on his face. Arthur felt the heat run to his cheeks and he glared at the other man.

"What did you want to see me about?" Arthur snapped at him, realising it wasn't the best of starts.

"I didn't," Cenred drawled. Arthur scowled further.

"That's what I got told."

"Actually," Cenred said, relaxing back in his chair, eyes still assessing Arthur intensely. "I got told the police wanted to talk to me, I said I only would if it was you."

"I'm not the police."

"Almost, exactly," Cenred said. His eyes flickering to Uther. Arthur didn't turn round, he let his eyes drift a little, but then Cenred shifted, quite abruptly, and Arthur got the hint. As he turned back he watched the scowl flicker across Cenred's face. Arthur hadn't jumped, he hadn't reacted to the implied threat. Despite the uneasy ripples running up and down his spine, and his clear discomfort, he wasn't going to give Cenred that type of satisfaction. Arthur fiddled around with his pad, opening it up and writing the date and time at the top, noting the initial opening with Cenred. Cenred peered at the pad, and frowned as he leant forward to try and read Arthur's writing.

"It's shorthand," Arthur explained as Cenred's frown deepened. "I have never liked it when clients try and read what I am writing, parts of it anyway. My mother taught me."

Cenred snorted, Arthur stopped writing. That was the good thing about it, he could make it look like he was making copious notes, and unless whoever it was understood shorthand they had no idea. He could be writing his shopping list and most people would be none the wiser. Generally he didn't, he actually wrote what he was meant to be writing but the principle was there. It put a small chink into Cenred's armour.

"What's wrong with using a tape recorder?" Cenred asked. Arthur shrugged.

"Just never have, I've never really thought about it."

Cenred rolled his eyes.

"Mind you," Arthur said causally. "You're into technology aren't you? You did a lot of computer work? Online stuff. That was your line of work wasn't it? Do you have access to a computer now?"

Arthur knew the answer. Uther had made sure to check that.

"No, not that is connected to the outside world anyway," Cenred said.

"That makes it a little pointless doesn't it?" Arthur asked. "You ran a company that produced websites, what can you do on a computer if you can't access the internet."

"Write my memoires," Cenred said. Arthur raised his eyebrows and jotted in shorthand, 'you have got to be kidding me'.

"Really," he said out loud. "I can't imagine many people wanting to know about you and what you did."

Cenred raised his eyebrows and smirked at Arthur. "Oh, you'd be surprised. Most people are too timid to give into their most basic desires, and it's what a lot of people want to do. They casually say they could kill someone for something, and to be honest," Cenred paused and leant forward, as if he was about to impart a great secret.

"Most people probably would commit murder, if they could get away with it. They'd like to hurt someone, and find out how it feels to force that girl they see into an act that is considered despicable."

"So, you think you are helping people live out their fantasies?" Arthur asked. Cenred laughed.

"No, just my own."

"And you think people are really going to want to read about that, your selfish desire to hurt people. Are you trying to give it meaning?"

"You're the psychiatrist," Cenred said, still sounding amused. "It's your type that try to look for meaning in things. Are you going to ask me about my parents?"

"No, the last thing I want to do is get into a conversation with you, and I certainly don't want to know anything about you. The police wanted to talk to you, you said you'd only talk to me, so I got stuck having to drive up here at some bloody awful time in the morning, to ask you what the police want to ask you. It's as simple as that."

Cenred tilted his head to the side, Arthur scrawled a note in shorthand telling himself to shut up and stop talking, he needed to get Cenred talking. What he had to try and do was stop the man carefully talking his way around a subject, making it sound like he was telling them something, when in actual fact he wasn't.

"Don't you want to know?"

"Not particularly," Arthur informed him flatly.

"Not even about Merlin."

"Most especially about Merlin, my job is to help and support him. I don't want to know your version of events, so you can give yourself another hard on."

"Don't you want to understand him?"

"I do, I just don't need you to do that, and I have no desire to understand you. Now does this alleged partner of yours, who apparently killed all these boys, actually exist?"

"What do you think?"

"I'll take that as a yes. You have constantly maintained that you didn't kill any of the boys, although, all things considered, you didn't keep them far from that state. None of them just went by accident, did they?"

"Not a one," Cenred said with confidence. His smirk gave the sentence meaning. More than six, most definitely; there had been more than six.

"So killing them was their fantasy, this other person's. You enjoyed the torture and they enjoyed the killing."

"If you like," Cenred said. Arthur paused, and made a few notes. He had to try and get his head around this, he needed the notes because he was starting to think that he wouldn't get any insight now, he would need to look at the thoughts later.

"Why were you keeping them? How the hell do you get into an arrangement like that?"

Cenred just smirked and shrugged. Arthur shifted uncomfortably. This wasn't getting him anywhere. Instead he opened the file and brought out the picture of the boy who was currently missing. He was beaming at the camera, looking bright and happy. Arthur turned it, trying not to really look at the picture, while he turned it and placed it in front of Cenred, who kept his eyes on Arthur for a moment before looking down at the snapshot.

"This boy is missing as well, with a good indication that it might be happening again."

"Lots of teenagers go missing, why would you assume it relates to me?" Cenred asked, he stared at Arthur, who met the gaze, eyeing Cenred carefully. There was something quite smug about Cenred's expression, he wasn't going to say anything further to Arthur. Instead he was pulling Arthur in, and Arthur knew that Cenred knew what Merlin was doing. He couldn't know the exact nature of it. No one had been told about Merlin's ability, that had been kept firmly between certain staff at the hospital and of the police only Uther, Morgana, Gwaine and Leon were privy to the information. Arthur was going to have to be blatantly honest with this man, or try a different approach. They were at an impasse, which was the moment, oddly, that the door behind them unlocked. Cenred lifted his head, a flicker of irritation appearing across his carefully schooled features. Arthur turned, Uther looked almost as irritated as Cenred, when Leon came through the door.

"Sorry Sir; Arthur?"

Arthur got up, taking his pad with him, scribbling a note for Uther. He put the pad and pen down on the desk so his father could read it, and write a reply if he needed to. Leon and Arthur huddled together, close enough to Uther so that he could hear the information.

"You were right, or at least two of them are the same, Sam the first one entered the school talent show, a few weeks before his disappearance, as a mind reader, and from what I can gather he was really good. There were assumptions that it was set up somehow, but by the sound of it, it's entirely possible he could be capable of it. We've got solid enough proof that it can happen."

Arthur shrugged.

"And the other?"

"Jason had something similar, just a magic act but a few of his illusions were good, and his ability with cards quite interesting. He got suspended from school a couple of times for gambling, playing poker and winning… a lot, like he knew the cards really well."

"So possibly a similar thing. They all had some level of talent. Maybe some didn't even know it. We've got that to possibly connect why it was those boys."

"Possibly," Leon said. He glanced at Uther. But Uther wasn't answering him. He was jotting something down on the pad, in shorthand. He also had found some benefit in having his wife teach him, if nothing else, it had been a fun way to pass notes when they were dating. Arthur didn't try to read it now, instead he turned back to Leon as he added.

"And I did a bit more research, on supernatural info, apparently puberty is a sort of time that this sort of thing manifests. Things like poltergeists manifesting around teenagers."

"When everything chemically inside them is sort of having a riot, and the situation that Cenred put them through, that would cause huge emotion," Arthur said. "Surely that would trigger it, but Merlin was older, unless he developed later."

Arthur jumped as Uther tapped his arm with the pad handing it back to him. Turning it Arthur read the last comment Uther had written at the bottom of the page.

'Or Merlin is stronger than the rest.'

Arthur glanced at Uther, then at Leon.

"Thanks," Arthur said before turning round and heading back to the table. He put the pad down, glancing at the notes his father had written. It left him with some idea of how to carry on. Cenred was glared at him as he returned to the seat, his eyes darkening with fury. Arthur had already tipped the balance, thanks to Leon's intervention. Leon could have walked in and said anything, it was just the movement, that Arthur might know something else. Another thought occurred to him, which he jotted down, to remind himself to find out. It was a long shot but if any of the other boys had been for a brain scan, then the pattern could be mapped out further.

"Were the boys your choice? Or your friend's?"

"I didn't mind any of them," Cenred said.

"But you kidnapped them, you stalked them, just picking them off when you could."

"It's not that difficult."

"And you enjoyed it," Arthur said, not making that a question. "Have you ever been in any sort of normal relationship?"

"What do you define as normal?"

"I hardly think kidnapping people, raping and abusing them can be considered normal."

"So instead you mean dating, buying furniture, and having an equal say."

"Something like that," Arthur said.

"It's not equal, you might not see it clearly all the time, but there is always one who remains dominant. There's abuse in every relationship, I just happened to be honest about it."

"You saw yourself as in a relationship?" Arthur tried not to sound utterly incredulous. Cenred looked at him carefully, assessing him again. Arthur tried not to think about the implications of that look.

"There is interaction, a balance of power, like most partnerships."

"None of the boys had any power," Arthur countered. Cenred raised his eyebrows.

"Don't be sure of that."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and Cenred's mouth tweaked with a smile.

"Did you like them?" Arthur asked. "The boys, did you like them?"

"Each one had a different type of appeal," Cenred said.

Arthur could see the challenge in the man's eyes. Cenred was almost daring Arthur to make the conversation personal, to ask about the boys, one in particular. Arthur glanced at his pad and made another note, reading one his father had written. 'Talk about Merlin, you are going to have to be specific.'

Unfortunately, Arthur was starting to agree with that. He didn't really want to get into a deep involved conversation, but he was hedging and Cenred wasn't letting him get anywhere because of it. Arthur was going to have to force his way deeper, and Merlin was the obvious way in. Arthur knew him, Arthur had been dealing with him and Cenred knew that. More than likely Cenred had received some of that information from his lawyer, but there lay a possibility that Cenred had found out another way.

"What was it about Merlin?"

The question caused Cenred to smirk. "Oh, now you want to talk about Merlin."

"Yes, I do, it could be any of them, I suppose, but Merlin is the one that survived. There was something that kept him alive, did you like him better than the others."

"He was purer. I told you that. He was shy, very insecure, didn't have many friends. There is something about him, isn't there Arthur?" Cenred drawled. Arthur glared at him, feeling a light trace of heat rushing to his cheeks. He carefully schooled his features so he gave as little away as possible.

"I don't know, you're the one that chose him. What was it about Merlin that you liked?"

"Merlin," Cenred drawled, as if he was carefully tasting the word. It sent a shiver through Arthur, and he wondered if Cenred had ever addressed Merlin like that. If he had it had probably terrified Merlin.

"Merlin was like a virgin sacrifice. He was chained to Jason on the first night. Although Jason didn't even look at him, he kept his face hidden. He knew what was going to happen. Merlin was so tight when I took him, and I enjoyed the screaming."

"I know all this, you're not going to tell me anything new," Arthur sighed.

"You haven't asked me anything new."

"There is nothing you can tell me, you were used as well, at least that sick little part of you was. All you were needed for was to keep the poor kids alive, and drive their emotions higher. That was it, wasn't it?"

Cenred's face changed. Then he looked around as the guards unlocked the door and they disappeared. Arthur turned to look at his father, who shrugged. Arthur glanced down at the notes his father had written. 'Two minutes', one of them said. That was as long as Arthur had, taking the conversation off the radar. Arthur fiddled with the file and pulled out the copy of Merlin's drawing.

"At four in the morning, Merlin starts screaming the place down and this is the picture he drew me. The boy that was being murdered. Sam and Jason were also both thought to have some level of ability, even though it hadn't been narrowed down quite like that. Merlin gave us a lead on this boy as well." Arthur produced the other drawing Merlin had done. "We will find him."

The muscles in Cenred's jaw moved, glaring at Arthur. Arthur looked back steadily.

"It won't be alive, that will be a quick fix," Cenred said.

"That's what they are going for, without you to sustain the boy's terror, that's all they can get. Tracking down anyone with a mild ability."

Cenred sniggered. "Everyone has an ability, it's just a question of finding it. Merlin was a good little find, but there's a bigger score coming, and you'll never see it. This is an appetiser. The main meal is on the way."

"You want to bet," Arthur said. "And they won't get their grubby little hands on Merlin again."

Cenred grinned. "If you say so. Time's up Pendragon."

And the guards came back. Arthur didn't try for anything else. All that could be said, probably had been spoken.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur had to endure the catcalls all the way out, but he hardly noticed them. He walked past without even realising half of the men were there. All he could think about was Merlin, poor Merlin, trapped in a situation he couldn't escape from. Arthur couldn't imagine how it felt, to have roused from unconsciousness to find himself trapped in a cellar with another captive and a man that took advantage of him.

He had, during his time at the hospital, been called in to council rape victims. Most of them male, Nimueh had often dealt with the females. It depended. Sometimes a few of them had wanted him, if nothing else to vent their feelings. Arthur knew the basic mechanics of it, and he used his detachment to it to try and ease people through their trauma. But he had never been though anything that terrifying. His life had been safe, almost sheltered to some extent.

They paused in the car park, standing by Leon's car, by the bonnet, where he had carefully reversed it into the space, like he always did.

"Did that even tell us anything?" Uther asked as he perched himself on the right wing. Leon looked pained by that, but said nothing, he wouldn't.

"Yes, it did," Arthur said. "And don't sit on the car."

"Exactly what?" Uther asked, standing up, glaring at Leon briefly before turning back to Arthur.

"What Cenred says openly, and what he means are very well connected. He's made it quite clear that there are more victims that have been killed, and no doubt more victims to come. And that they have another target equal to Merlin."

"How the hell do we find them?" Uther asked.

"Merlin would be the obvious way, surely," Leon said. Arthur shook his head.

"Merlin is only seeing what is going on. We are assuming that his catatonic stupor is though trauma. But we are clearly learning that Merlin's mind is beyond anything that can be understood. He was put through the scans because of his head trauma. Did any of the other victims ever go for any sort of brain scan?"

"You think you might find a connection?" Uther asked.

"Maybe, possibly not. People have intuition all the time, even just day to day, you do something and have no idea why, you know who it is when the phone rings. You don't know why but it happens. Co-incidences, seeing someone you were just thinking about. It's all there if you look at it right."

"Well, yeah, I know it's a flaky sort of thing to consider but Merlin is making us do that. He's seeing what is happening, as it happens, which would suggest, he is still connected to this person. It sounds from what you're saying, that they might be feeding on this," Leon said.

"Like a vampire," Uther said, raising his hands as Arthur glared. "I'm not being sarcastic, it just seems like the simplest description. I got that hint from the conversation."

"I suppose it fits," Arthur conceded. There was a short pause. "We didn't get much did we?"

"He's not going to be that willing to give anything away," Uther said. "He knows he's never getting out. Despite everything I made sure enough was going to stick, even if the murder charges are overturned there is too much else. In fact that could result in him being shipped off to a secure psychiatric unit."

"Does he want that?" Leon asked.

"God alone knows," Arthur said. "I don't think I'd get far even if I took him permanently on as a patient, which I do not want to do. I think the only reason he asked for me was because I'd be hopeless in dealing with him."

"I wouldn't say you were that, but it seems to me that asking for you has an ulterior motive."

"That could just be because he's the closest person to Merlin. If nothing else, he's probably eyeing you up as competition," Leon said.

"He was certainly eyeing me up for something," Arthur said. "So what the hell do we do now? He said this other boy was a quick fix, which means we are not going to have much time to save him."

"If any, I'm afraid. I don't think we'll find that boy alive," Uther said flatly. Arthur glared at him.

"That's all you can say."

"I have to be realistic about this Arthur, the only reason we know this boy is even remotely connected is because Merlin clearly witnessed something. It was the same with the other boy. Hopefully the lab will get back to me soon to see if the DNA traces we found are relating to any from the previous murders. And we had an unidentified partial print from the farmhouse. If we can connect anything it will be a miracle."

"Something is bringing this situation to a head. If they need something long term, then maybe they still need Merlin," Leon said.

Arthur clenched his jaw, voicing something he was not very happy about.

"Maybe they still have him."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival ambled along the corridor heading towards Merlin's room. He had been rather confused by the job when he had been called in by Uther but Percival reflected that it had been something of a relaxing time. He was getting used to the small, quiet hospital, and understood why it worked so well for people needing therapy. Not that he thought that he was someone who needed it, but he had to admit over the last day or so he was feeling very relaxed.

The work was somewhat undemanding. He had scouted the grounds, looking over any vulnerable areas. There were plenty to be found, people could sneak in, but he had secured what he could, walking the perimeter twice a day, spending some time with Merlin and now and again tailing the very pretty Elena. Percival wondered if she was single; although she had hinted at it he hadn't got a clear answer.

He ambled into Merlin's room and paused, looking around. Not five minutes ago he had told Lancelot he would go and get Merlin and take him down to watch television. Lancelot had shrugged and carried on sorting through the bed sheets. None of them really liked leaving Merlin alone, although he didn't openly register their presence. It seemed almost cruel to Percival to leave him sitting there, so that was why he sometimes took him down to sit in the lounge area, with the television chatting away at them so there wasn't any sort of silence between them. Percival commented on the programmes as they rolled over the screen. He wasn't sure if Merlin was watching, or liked, anything they watched, but it felt to Percival like he was making an effort with the job he was given.

Now he stared at the empty room. Lancelot was the nurse on duty, and he hadn't said that Merlin had been moved. Backing up two steps Percival went out into the corridor and looked around, listening. It was quiet this time of day. A couple of the residents were in their rooms, but that usually meant they wanted peace and quiet. He glanced towards Vivian's door. She was another one who had taken up looking after Merlin, but her door was shut, she was meant to be out with her father this afternoon.

Glancing back he saw Kilgharrah on the window ledge, balanced in a fairly precarious manner. He was tucked into the bay window, looking as though he was staring out of the window. There was no possible way Merlin would have wanted him left there, and no one would have abandoned him to such a place. With a frown Percival strode across the room to retrieve him and find out what was going on.

When he did he got the shock of his life.

He had just picked up the toy when he glanced out of the window and saw a figure stood on the edge of the lawn, just by the hedge. Percival stared, thinking it odd that someone would be lingering there. Then his eyes widened as he recognised the dark hair and slim build.

Merlin was stood on the lawn. For the few seconds that Percival regarded him in shock Merlin stayed quite still, as if he was entirely in his catatonic state. Glancing around Percival couldn't see anyone close to him, and he couldn't understand who would have left Merlin there alone anyway. None of the staff would have dreamt of it. Backing up he put Kilgharrah down on the end of the bed and ran out of the room, he almost ran to the main area, to find someone. Then changed his mind and ran the other way, towards the stairs at the far end that led to the fire door. It would be the quickest way to get to Merlin, which probably came as first priority.

He crashed through the door shoulder first and went down the stairs, jumping down at few at a time to speed up his run. As he landed by the door he winced as he felt his ankle turn, clicking loudly and causing him to swear.

"Percy?" Gwen's voice made him turn. He slammed the door open, causing the alarms that Elyan had fitted to start pinging. They were not brilliant but they could draw attention. He paused, backing up through the door as he gasped.

"Merlin's outside!"

"What?" Gwen asked, running after him.

"Get Lancelot! I saw Merlin outside, on the lawn, alone!" Percival gave her the information as succinctly as possible before running around the corner towards the spot where he had seen Merlin. He slowed to a jog and looked around. The area was open, he had a clear view of the grounds and Merlin was nowhere in sight. He turned a circle and saw Gwen, with Lancelot running out towards him. Percival looked up at the window, it was in clear sight. He was not mistaken. It had been Merlin.

"Gwen said Merlin was out here!" Lancelot shouted. Percival looked around.

"He was; I swear I saw him. I went into his room and looked out of the window. He was here! It took me a minute to get down here, if that!"

"Gwen, check the building and alert the rest of the staff!" Lancelot shouted, and then he turned to Percival. "We'll search the grounds, he can't have gone far."

Percival started looking, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he did so. He had to tell DCI Pendragon, and sooner rather than later. And it was a good idea.

Merlin, it seemed, had vanished into thin air.


	10. Chapter 10

Gwaine wandered towards the building. Uther had phoned him to send him over to the university to pick Arthur up. He had been in lectures and then tutorials all afternoon and wasn't answering his phone. As far as Uther knew he would be finished by four. He had spent a bit of time randomly berating his son for probably leaving his phone in the car, which he sometimes did. Gwaine wondered how Uther knew that, did Arthur confess to it or did Uther track Arthur's phone. Although he was not stupid enough to actually ask that out loud it wouldn't have surprised him if Uther did keep tabs on his son.

Uther was naturally furious. He was a man who went about shouting and bullying all day long. It got his job done and nobody argued with that fact. When he went quiet and calm, then they all worried. Which was why Gwaine was happy to be out here searching for Pendragon junior and not suffering Uther's wrath.

Gwaine headed in the direction of the building he needed when he paused, as Arthur's blue car caught his eye. From the angle Gwaine stood at, facing the back passenger wing straight on he could see that the door, the driver's door, lay at an angle. The door was open, Arthur was probably packing up. Gwaine checked his watch, it was half past five. Although he was running late Gwaine didn't think that was to strange. Conversations took longer than people thought and Arthur would sit through every tutorial, making sure he helped every student that came to him. He was like that, Arthur was almost perfect.

The feeling of jealousy rose up, Gwaine couldn't help it. He never had. Ever since he had met Uther he had spoken about his son as if he was some kind of saint. Gwaine had thought there was no possible way that Uther's ideal actually matched the reality, but somehow it did. Arthur was polite, kind, generous and intelligent. It always left Gwaine feeling a little intimidated, not that he would ever let Arthur know. He also got the hint that the feeling was slightly mutual. Gwaine was shrewd in his own way, and streetwise, he could do his job, and he did it well. Uther had recognised that, and Gwaine had soon learnt that he was somehow acting as substitute for Arthur, who had refused to follow his father's career. When they had met it occurred to Gwaine that Arthur knew his father's behaviour and psychology very well.

That had set Gwaine and Arthur at odds with each other from the first moment. It had never occurred to either of them, and probably never would, that they both had the potential to become close friends. But the teasing aside Gwaine did like Arthur and Arthur took Gwaine as no threat to his relationship with his father.

Despite that, Gwaine didn't fancy being the one to break the news to Arthur. At least he might be easier to handle than Uther when he did. Gwaine moved around to the driver's side, preparing what he would say. He planned to dispense with any sort of humorous greeting. The news he was about to impart did not require that. However, Gwaine paused and frowned as he looked at Arthur's empty car, and an open door.

He turned his head, looking around. It was quiet in the area now, and by sheer instinct Gwaine took the gloves he had in his pocket out and carefully put them on. Arthur was the son of a policeman, leaving his car door open like that was not something he would do by accident. Gwaine opened the driver's door fully and looked around, crouching down to view inside.

The first thing he noticed was the keys, in the ignition. Arthur's usual pile of papers, which he always seemed to have on him, were stacked carefully on the passenger seat. He had put them down there, tucking them against the backrest. It indicated that Arthur had been sat in the car. Gwaine slowly stood up and looked around again, backing up and viewing the car from an entirely different perspective. Then he turned at the sound of giggling. A trio of girls were walking down the pathway from the building that Arthur had been in.

"Excuse me ladies."

They paused. Two eyed him with interest, the other with distain. But they all straightened up, also looking at the car.

"Do you know if Dr Pendragon is still in the building?"

They frowned and looked at the car again. Gwaine delved into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out his ID and showed it to them.

"I need to speak to him on a very serious matter, is he still in there?"

"No," the brunette on the right announced. "I had the last tutorial with him."

Which, Gwaine thought, explained the low cut top and the make-up she was wearing.

"And he cut it short," she continued. "He left at half four. It was overrunning a little but he said he had to get back. He said he was on his way to the hospital."

"Okay, thank you," Gwaine said. "Would anyone have seen him in the car park at that time?"

"You could try asking Gerald, he's the parking attendant."

"Thank you."

"Erm, there's a phone there," the girl on the far side suddenly said, pointing the direction of the back wheel. Turning to look he saw the screen was lit up. Gwaine grimaced as he picked it up and saw the screen, complete with cartoon dragon and 'Dad' emblazoned across it. Gwaine pressed the button to answer the call.

"Arthur finally…"

"Actually, I'm Gwaine. I just picked up the phone from the floor by Arthur's back wheel. The door to his car was unlocked and the keys in the ignition, apparently he left the building at half four, so he has been missing for an hour."

There was a very long silence from the other end.

"Sir, I can check the building, he might have gone back in but… he wouldn't have left the door like this, or his phone on the floor. I have gloves on and have made minimal contact."

"I'll send a team down to you, when they arrive to need to try and check the comings and goings of the building and any CCTV you can find."

"Yes Sir."

"Stay there and see what they do, I want updates!"

"We don't know for certain that it's anything serious."

"Arthur would not leave his car like that. Keep me informed!"

Uther hung up and Gwaine looked at the car, the un-grown-up car that Arthur owned, open and vulnerable. Gwaine had nothing to do until the team turned up, but look at it. Arthur had got to his car, stacked his papers on the passenger seat, like he generally did, and his lunchbox was, Gwaine realised after further investigation, on the floor of that side.

He had put his papers down, probably dropped the bright pink plastic box. Gwaine reached in a hand and carefully took the handle, lifting it to shake it. Nothing happened, so it was empty. Arthur had eaten. Gwaine placed it back as best he could and sitting back on his haunches looked around. Everything that Arthur would have been carrying was set where he would have put it. Gwaine took a risk, they could easily eliminate him from any enquiry, and he put himself in the seat. Arthur had put his stuff down, put his key in the ignition. Gwaine felt for it, clicking it back and pulling it out, before putting it back in and turning it. It shifted back into the place where it had been left and a slight further turn caused the engine to start. Gwaine switched it back off, and did it again, slowly.

Arthur had been in the car, his stuff settled on the seat, and he had to have been in the process of turning it on.

"So, he was in the car, just about to drive off," Gwaine said slowly. He looked about, thinking carefully. "Then he opened the door. Arthur would have shut it to drive off, everything was in place, and so, he would have seen something and got out."

Gwaine did so, stepping out slowly. Then he stood, moving the car door and talking out loud to lead himself through what he was thinking.

"If he'd seen it behind him, in the mirror, the door would have been wide open, but Arthur had pushed it, presuming it was Arthur, closed, just slightly. That would indicate he was trying to get to someone in front of the car. And if you really want someone's attention, you arrive in their line of sight. But his phone was by the back wheel."

Gwaine stepped away, closing the car door into the position he found it and he faced the door and backed up, still thinking through what could have happened.

"Arthur would get out of the car to help someone, he'd have his phone to call..." Gwaine flipped through the phone to find the call logs. "His mother, about lunchtime, he hadn't made the call. But if he thought it was important it most certainly would have been 999."

"Right," Gwaine drawled, looking around. "That CCTV camera is the best shot and I need to find Gerald, the parking attendant. Arthur saw something, got out of the car, was getting out of the car, phone in hand and… hello…"

Gwaine crouched by the driver's door, peering at the scuff and indention on the door.

"They moved quickly enough to kick the door, hitting Arthur, which would have sent him down, maybe, and he would have dropped the phone. They came for him, deliberately, knowing he was here. Merlin's gone AWOL and so has Arthur. I think we can safely say that is not a coincidence."

Gwaine looked up, seeing the flashing lights of a patrol car as it entered the car park. He lifted his hand, waving at them to get their attention. They needed the CCTV and Gerald, the aforementioned parking attendant, perhaps forensics, and most of all, Gwaine had to call his boss.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it. DCS Pendragon was not a happy man. The fact that Arthur seemed to be on the missing list was not helping matters in the slightest.

"So? I'm waiting."

Percival sighed. He didn't really think he was going to extract himself from any blame here.

"Lancelot had been up there about ten minutes previously. I told him I was going up to collect Merlin and bring him down to watch television."

Uther nodded, glaring at Percival, who shrank down even more. Leon eyed him with sympathy but wasn't inclined to go any further than that. He didn't want to incur any of Uther's fury.

"When I got up there, the room was empty and Kilgharrah was on the window sill."

Uther's eyebrows raised in a mildly sarcastic gesture, not entirely understanding what Percival was getting at. Percival hunched even more, if that was possible.

"It seemed an odd place to leave him. Everyone's been really careful with him ever since his wing got damaged. He looked a bit precarious so I went to pick him up and put him somewhere safer. That's when I saw Merlin, out on the lawn, just there," Percival pointed out of the dining room window to the right place.

"Alone?"

"Yes, and no one walked him out there, no one would, and they certainly wouldn't have left him. I ran out but by the time I got downstairs and out of the fire door, he was gone. Lancelot and I covered the grounds, but all I found were traces of his hair snagged on the bush, and a tiny sliver of clothing."

"So he disappeared through the hedge?" Uther drawled.

"There are a few weak spots," Percival said. "I had searched them out and knew that one was there."

Uther's eyes were hardening dramatically. Percival cringed.

"But to be honest, I thought I was keeping an eye on them to stop people from sneaking in, not prevent the catatonic patient from sneaking out."

"That is rather a valid point," Gaius eventually said, trying to come to Percival's rescue.

"Merlin has been moving voluntarily," Uther snapped.

"Not to such an independent extent. True he has starting drawing, and he responds to certain stimuli, but the reactions have been so subtle you have to be incredibly aware of them. And it's fair to say, the only person he has really openly responded to is Arthur."

Uther ground his teeth. "Who left the university building at four thirty. When did Merlin do his disappearing act?"

Percival glanced at his watch. "I was going to bring him down to watch that cooking show on channel 4 so about ten to five."

"Which means he was there twenty minutes after Arthur was kidnapped," Leon said. "If we are assuming that is the case."

"We are, Arthur would not leave his car door open, drop his phone and disappear."

By the tone of Uther's voice, Arthur probably wouldn't damn well dare, Leon thought to himself, sharing a brief glance with Percival. They didn't hold the gaze for long, both of them turning their attention back to Uther. Thankfully he didn't seem aware of the silent communication.

"So far, from the evidence we have, Merlin is aware of things as they happen," Gaius said. "As with the murder he witnessed, and the fact he knew that boy had been taken."

"So you're thinking that Arthur was targeted?" Morgana said. "And Merlin has responded. We've assumed that Cenred has no way of communicating with the outside world, the prison has shut him off from any outside communication, but maybe it's been happening another way."

"You think Cenred is another one with ability?" Uther snapped. Morgana shrugged.

"Maybe, but not necessarily. He was needed for a purpose, one he enjoyed, but it's this other person that presumably wanted access to the boy's talents that seems to be somehow his main concern. Which could mean that perhaps they are linked to him in the same psychic way. Merlin is connected, that much is evident. If they wanted Merlin back, maybe they needed a way to draw him in."

"They're using Arthur as bait?" Percival mused. "Merlin seems to like him. It's a bit hard to work out but you kind of know things about Merlin, without him ever telling you."

"You get a sense of what he's thinking," Lancelot added. "Or at least feeling. Arthur seemed to be getting it most of all."

Uther clenched his jaw and pulled his phone out of his pocket, there was a hum as it vibrated again and he answered it.

"Gwaine?" The demand for an answer was curt.

Gwaine's voice was breathless, a slight sound of a breeze coming through the phone.

"Sir, the team has arrived, I've left them to it. I've got a copy of the CCTV of the car park and I've had a quick word with the parking attendant. There wasn't much he could tell me but you need to see the footage. I'm bringing it over now."

"I presume it tells us something useful?"

"Yes and no," Gwaine said, panting slightly as he walked across to his own car. Uther heard the beep in the background as Gwaine unlocked his car and the rustle as he sat down.

"We can safely say Arthur was kidnapped, but we can't identify by who. You'd just better view the tape Sir."

Uther snarled in frustration. "Get over here then, and quickly."

"Yes, Sir."

Gwaine cut the connection to do exactly as he was told.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Both the police and the hospital staff gathered to watch the screen, with a semblance of confusion. Gwaine's assessment of events had been spot on. Arthur had been sat in the car, and the footage clearly caught him seeing something ahead of him, but out of range of the camera. He had started to get out of the car, holding his phone, getting ready to dial.

Then the scene became peculiar. Something shot into view, hit the door, which sent Arthur sprawling.

"What the hell is that?" Lancelot asked as Uther rewound the tape and played the scene again, focusing on Arthur's look of concern, which turned to shock as the attack happened. Uther paused the playback and everyone stared at the strange black blur on the screen.

"It can't be the camera," Morgana said. "Everything else is as clear as a bell."

"Lancelot, go to Arthur's office and get Merlin's file," Gaius suddenly ordered. Lancelot nodded and started to head out, and then he paused.

"What if the filing cabinet is locked?"

"You've managed to open the drugs locker with a safety pin, I'm sure you can think of something."

Lancelot grinned and headed out, Uther played the tape over again. Gwaine felt like pointing out that it wasn't going to change but judging by the set of Uther's jaw such a comment would be a seriously bad idea. Instead he watched the playback again. There wasn't much else to see beyond the attack, the screen became too blurred to really comprehend was happened after that.

"That has to be deliberate," Gwaine eventually said. Uther gave him a side-long glare. Gwaine straightened up a little.

"According to the parking attendant the only other vehicle of note was a jeep type thing. It had only been in the car park for a while, although it had moved a couple of times. He took the number plate," Gwaine said rummaging in his pocket. Morgana frowned as a tinny ring started in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. Getting up she walked out of the room to answer it, her clipped tones coming from the corridor as she conversed with whoever it was. Uther took the paper from Gwaine, hardly glancing at it before passing it to Leon who took the hint, pulling out his phone to call through the number and find out who the jeep belonged to.

"If it had moved then presumably they were waiting. They knew Arthur was in lectures all afternoon. Did the car park have a time limit?" Uther asked.

Gwaine shook his head. "No, they don't use any sort of permit or ticket system either. I think the far side is used by a few commuters but nowhere close to where Arthur parked. It's too out of the way to be of much real use to anyone but people going to the campus. It's basically down to Gerald's discretion as to what he keeps an eye on. He knows the regular cars, and he knew Arthur's."

"But he wasn't about when this happened?"

"No, there is more than one building, and car park, he kind of rotates around them. So he had passed this one on his rota and moved over to the far side of the campus."

"This is so well planned that only Arthur could be the target," Uther said.

"Got it," Lancelot said, running back holding out the thick file to Gaius, who took it and flipped through Arthur's notes, the police information and the pictures that Merlin had drawn.

"I'm fairly certain that Arthur hadn't passed this one on to you, at least not yet," Gaius said. Uther took the picture, staring at it. It was most definitely Arthur in the centre of the drawing.

"Merlin drew this?"

Uther stared at the dark shadow that had been drawn around his son, a frown starting to form on his face.

"Look at the date," Gaius advised. "Arthur didn't make much of it because Merlin drew on that first day when Arthur went to see Cenred. Arthur just thought that Merlin somehow knew where he had gone, and just felt concerned about him."

"It says here that Merlin was quite agitated when he was drawing it," Uther said, reading his son's scrawling notes at the bottom of the page.

"I believe so," Gaius told him.

"He did another one at the same time," Percival said, recovering a little from the trauma of Uther's anger. He wandered over to help pick out the right drawing.

"I said it looked like a landscape or something, but we couldn't make much out."

"He's done a couple of those before," Uther said, studying the pictures.

"Merlin seems to be trying to tell us something," Gaius said. "The first few pictures were easy to work out. The stove relates to the farmhouse, he's still there in some capacity."

"In his mind?" Uther asked.

"Then he drew that landscape that we thought perhaps related to where he was, then came Kilgharrah, when Arthur told Merlin his mother was coming to visit him."

"That certainly gives us a sure sign that Merlin was paying attention," Lancelot said.

Gaius huffed and looked around, eventually settling on Lancelot.

"See if you can get hold of Nimueh, an extra brain on this might be useful."

Lancelot nodded and disappeared, ducking to avoid Morgana as she stormed back. Uther looked up at her, her face serious and her eyes flashing with anger. She jiggled her mobile in her hand and everyone's attention turned to her. Everything about her told them she had news.

"Morgana?" Uther asked.

"That was the prison. Earlier this afternoon Cenred had some kind of seizure, serious enough that they moved him to the hospital wing."

"Please tell me he's dead," Gwaine said, but even as he said that his tone gave away the fact that he didn't think that was what Morgana was about to say.

"Two of the medical staff were found dead, there is no sign of where Cenred escaped from. He's another one who seems to be capable of vanishing into thin air." Morgana's voice turned tight, the anger straining to get out. Uther had gone very still, staring at her, although Morgana was one person who never seemed to be intimidated by his anger. It was one reason that rumours ran around that she was sleeping with him. Gwaine watched them staring at each other.

"What time was he reported missing?" Uther said.

"Five forty-five, he was last seen in the ward about fifteen minutes prior to that," Morgana said.

"But within a similar time frame to Arthur and Merlin," Gwaine said.

"Cenred is being held somewhere that is over two hours away, there is no way that this person who took Arthur and Merlin can be involved in that, it's impossible," Leon said.

Percival shrugged. "Merlin's walking around on his own, I thought that was impossible, he also appears to have gone through a hedge and the area beyond that is open, I should have seen him. That's impossible as well."

"That CCTV is impossible, nothing blurs like that at such a convenient moment. It's like whoever it is can pixilate their aura," Gwaine added.

"This is all leading to this mysterious person who Cenred refused to name," Gaius said.

"Cenred said to Arthur that a big score was coming. We have three pieces of the puzzle missing," Uther said, his voice again turning deceptively calm. "We find them, we find the fourth."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur groaned as the pain of his headache descended like a tight band, pressing onto his temples. Automatically he started to get up, his muddled mind not really comprehending the situation. As he tried to sit up the spinning in his head became ten times worse and he slumped back down onto the cold stone floor. The palms of his hands felt damp as he tried to get up again but even as he lifted himself inches up the nausea rose in his throat and he dropped again.

He lay still for a few moments, letting the sensations die down and restricting his movement to slowly blinking his eyes to try and clear his vision. Arthur let his mind catch up to the situation instead of trying to move.

The last thing he remembered was the university car park. He couldn't bring to mind anything beyond that. Had he been in his car, he wondered. If he was in the car park then surely that made sense. A thought formed in his mind that he had clambered out of the car, but he couldn't for the life of him think why.

He moaned again as his head pounded, the band feeling like it was tightening further. Bringing up a hand he rubbed his forehead. Finally Arthur comprehended the fact that he was lying on the floor. It was cold and damp. Taking the risk he lifted his head and looked around. He blinked again in a slow, deliberate gesture. For a few moments his vision cleared.

There wasn't much to see.

Dark shapes made up the terrain that was most certainly not the familiar view of the university buildings. Unless it was now dark and he had been laying there for a while. Surely someone would have seen him. Arthur took another blink, keeping as still as he could so his body wouldn't distract him with the many aches and pains he seemed to have. Again, all he could see were dark blurs but something close by drew his attention. Arthur blinked again and slowly the pain in his head eased, and he blinked again bringing something into focus. Arthur's heart tensed with horror.

"Merlin?"

His voice sounded slurred, and his throat constricted again as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. His stomach tensed, liquid rushing up his throat and he spat it out, stomach heaving. He took as many slow calming breaths as he could, feeling the saliva gathering in his mouth. Concentrating on his reactions he swallowed gently trying to gather himself together. Slowly he lifted his head again, it felt too heavy for his neck, but he cleared his vision and found out his eyes hadn't deceived him.

"Merlin?" he asked again in a low tone.

There was, quite naturally, no response. Merlin continued to sit propped against a wall, his hands settled in his lap and his legs stretched out in front of him, looking like a discarded rag doll. His head was tilted at a slight angle to the left, his eyes staring into the distance but the angle of Merlin's head suggested to Arthur that he knew he was there. Arthur gave another cough and spat onto the floor. His mother would be furious if she knew. Arthur gave a snort of laughter at the thought and then brought himself back to the present.

Moving slowly, his body wouldn't allow anything else, he crawled forward, to get to Merlin. He had to make sure Merlin was all right, and then perhaps try to comprehend what the hell Merlin was doing there, wherever there was. That was probably the third thing to work out. Arthur shuffled forward only to be brought up short when his right hand jerked to a halt. He yanked twice, comprehension not dawning in his muddled mind, until he slowly looked down, the world shifting at a painful angle before he managed to realise that there was a band of metal circling his wrist. Arthur pulled again hearing the light clink of metal and he saw the glitter of the chain that was tethering him to a nearby radiator. He yanked his other arm and found that was brought up short by the same method. He almost toppled as that seemed to pull his other hand out from under him. Arthur turned to sit abruptly on his backside and he pitched over onto his side. Looking up again, his mind starting to clear a little, he assessed that he was, frustratingly, only two metres or so away from reaching Merlin's outstretched feet.

Arthur pulled on the chain again, finding that it dragged on his other hand. Arthur took both lengths of chain in one hand and slowly moved to follow it to the source, almost hitting his head on the radiator as he leant in closely to examine the situation. He swore under his breath as his forehead brushed against the radiator, feeling the warmth coming from it. The system was working. He hadn't got as far as working out if he was cold or hot, but at least Merlin would be all right, if there was some heat in the room. He had to think about Merlin.

Groping his way up the chain, and resting his head against the radiator Arthur eventually found where the chain had been looped around a metal pipe, and was caught on a joint, he pulled on it, lifting it over the thicker section, the low dull clanking echoing around the room. He dragged the chain up the pipe, realising he could only go so far as it turned up to run the hot water into the radiator. Arthur turned towards Merlin, the action less painful than before. Sitting still seemed to have done something for his head, the pain of his headache was lessening. He couldn't remember being hit, so he could only presume he was suffering the affects of some drug. He shifted his position again, stretching as far as the chain would allow him, only to find that he still stayed just out of reach of Merlin's foot.

Frustrated Arthur yanked on the chain again, putting as much effort into the venture as he could. As he started to feel a little breathless from the exertion, his head started to pound again and the dizzying sickness rose in his throat. Arthur went still again, trying to think, taking deep steady breaths to prevent him from vomiting. As the sensations calmed again he forced himself to stay relaxed. He turned his left wrist, looking for his watch, only to find that it was missing. Arthur guessed he had either lost it in the scuffle or whoever had kidnapped them did not want him knowing the time. However, it had to have been long enough for someone to notice that he was missing, if nothing else Merlin would be missing, and someone at the hospital would try to get hold of him to tell him. That would mean, he assured himself, that they knew he was nowhere to be found. Arthur could certainly trust his father to react to that. If Merlin was here then it had to have something to do with the case.

Arthur shifted his position again, resting back against the wall, next to the radiator. Until the drugs affects calmed he couldn't do much, his best option would be to at least assess the area and get an idea of what might happen next. He put himself in a position similar to Merlin's and looked around, checking Merlin over. His clothes seemed a little grubby, and he was without a coat, only wearing his blue shirt, with the contrasting red neckerchief and his jeans and trainers. Arthur hoped he wasn't cold, from what he could see Merlin didn't look to be shivering and Arthur realised there was a second radiator close to Merlin. Peering closer Arthur spotted the length of chain by Merlin's leg, running to a point behind him. He presumed Merlin was chained in the same way. It wouldn't make much of a difference to him. Merlin wasn't exactly going anywhere, but if the same person had kidnapped him then it would probably bring up bad memories for him. Merlin would know the nightmare wasn't over.

"It's all right Merlin," Arthur said, making an effort to keep his words clear and confident. "My father will know we're missing, he'll find us. We'll be all right, you'll be all right, I'll look after you."

That said, he looked around the room they were trapped in. There was a damp, musty smell to the air; it had not been used for a long while. Arthur located the window just above the radiator he was chained to. The glass was cracked, spreading out like a spider web across the pane, paint peeled from the frame, the exposed wood severely rotted in places. There were boards over the window, hammered over the outside, running horizontally across the window. It had not been done evenly, so chinks of light crept though the gaps, an orange haze, something artificial.

Moving slowly Arthur shifted the chain so he was closer, kneeling up to peer out of the window, trying to see what was outside. He didn't dare push the sash window open, frightened of the glass falling, so he couldn't get a clear view of anything. There was just the gleaming light. It gave him a hint of hope, they were near somewhere with a street light, which meant they were perhaps not trapped somewhere remote. There was hope they could be found.

He gave up on looking at where they were. For the moment he couldn't get them out that way, and the slivers of light were starting to hurt his eyes. Blinking he turned and tried to readjust his eyes to the room, assessing the dark corners. He could hear the sound of scratching, rodents clearly occupied the building, and there were what looked like old boxes stacked at one end of the room, stuffed together in a random, cluttered pile.

It did not make for an inspiring set up. Arthur crawled back towards Merlin, having another go at trying to reach him. He strained against the chain, his head pounding again as he exerted himself.

"Merlin? How did you get here? No one could have got into the hospital. It will be all right Merlin, I'll think of something."

"Oh, how sweet," a voice announced in the darkness.

Arthur jumped turning round, falling heavily again, landing back against the radiator and striking his head. He hadn't even realised the door had opened, actually he couldn't even remember seeing it, never mind knowing it if was open or shut. He flinched as the light increased in the room, the figure reaching over to turn the light on. It wasn't particularly bright, the bulb overhead giving a dull glow, the shade around it covered by years of grime. Arthur stared at the woman, her blond hair falling around her shoulders. He blinked again. It was the same person, he realised, his memory falling into place. The woman who had looked to be in trouble, and he had automatically gone to help.

He jerked back as she moved into the room, almost at an unnatural speed. She stopped halfway into the room, taking two further, slow steps towards him. Arthur watched her warily, while she eyed him in amusement, a smirk quirking the corners of her lips as she looked down at him. Arthur shifted nervously, taking another slow deep breath to calm himself down.

"I wouldn't advise struggling too much, the drug reacts to any attempt to fight."

Arthur glared at her, tensing as she looked away from him and turned her attention to Merlin. She went towards him, crouching down and gently brushing Merlin's hair back off his forehead. Arthur snarled, lurching towards them, although both of them were out of his reach, and he suffered another wave of the dizzying sickness. The woman paused and turned to look at him. Arthur struggled to get up again, taking a deep breath and using a supreme surge of willpower to control his body.

"Leave him alone," Arthur managed to growl, his voice sounding raw.

The blonde smirked, but she stood up and moved back over to Arthur. He struggled to sit up again, resting back against the wall, and he tried not to flinch as she put a cool hand against his forehead. Either, Arthur thought, he was extremely hot or she was very cold. He gritted his teeth and stayed still while she played with the strands of hair that were lankly sticking to his forehead.

"What do you want?" Arthur managed to say.

"You know what I want," she announced calmly. Arthur glared at her.

"What do you want with Merlin?"

She gave a light laugh, which made Arthur shiver and he flinched his head away from her hand. It caused the band to tighten in his mind and he closed his eyes.

"It's not just Merlin I want," she told him.

"What have I got to do with anything?" Arthur asked.

She tilted her head, looking at him steadily for a few seconds before smiling again. It didn't fill Arthur with much confidence. There was something chilling about that expression.

"Oh, my dear sweet Dr Pendragon," she drawled in a sing-song voice, still plucking at strands of his hair. He felt an overwhelming urge to swat her off, but decided it was better her attention focused on him and not Merlin.

"How much you care about your patients."

"That is my job," Arthur informed her.

"How concerned and understanding, and empathic."

Arthur frowned as she emphasized the last word. He blinked and she smirked. Her hand moved lower to stroke his cheek. Arthur felt shivers as she touched him, but he stayed perfectly still.

"You have no understanding of what you are, do you?"

"I am a good psychiatrist."

"Of course," she drawled softly, leaning into towards him. "Always knowing just how your patient is feeling, especially poor little lost Merlin."

The mention of his name caused Arthur to glance over at the other man. He hadn't looked to have moved, but there was something about the angle of his head that made it seem as if he had changed just a little, and he was watching the unfolding scene with intensity, and fear. The woman went down to stroking his neck. At that Arthur's hand shot up to grab her wrist, twisting painfully. She hardly seemed to react to it, instead her free hand latched on around his throat. The woman pressed down, putting her body weight behind the grip leaning closer to him.

"You can feel him, can't you? Like you can others."

Arthur glared at her. "And you can't?" he half asked and half concluded. Her face twisted with anger, but there was a light creak of the floorboards and a low voice asked.

"Starting without me Morgause?"

Arthur's body tensed at the familiar voice. He had heard it that very morning. Morgause turned from him, slackening the grip on his throat to look at Cenred. Very slowly she released Arthur and stood up. Cenred moved closer, looking down at Arthur with that dark, intense gaze, which made him want to curl up and hide himself as best he could.

"How the hell did you get out?" Arthur asked, his voice catching and he gave a cough to clear it, spitting the phlegm towards Cenred. Cenred just shrugged.

"Doors are really useful for that sort of thing," Cenred drawled. Morgause chuckled. Arthur tensed, especially as Cenred's gaze turned from him to Merlin. Arthur's panic started to peak, fear riding the wave of emotion. Arthur tried to lurch forward to stop him, the chain clanking sharply against the pipe as he pulled. Cenred watched him in amusement. He had positioned himself on the far side of Merlin, so Arthur could see both of them. Reaching out a hand Cenred turned his attention back to Merlin, stroking his hair and then gently brushing his ear before running his fingertips over Merlin's neck, pushing down the material of his scarf to rub the scarring. Arthur snarled, shivering as he almost felt the touch himself, and he realised, it wasn't his own panic and fear, although he certainly had enough of that, he could sense Merlin's. He knew Merlin didn't want this man anywhere near him. Arthur struggled, although it was futile, the exertion making him feel weak again.

"Get away from him," Arthur snarled. Cenred's hand moved lower over Merlin's, brushing down his torso. Arthur jerked forward again, trying to find a way to get to Merlin and protect him. He ended up falling again, crashing onto his side. Arthur forced himself to take several deep breaths again, encouraging his body to calm down, making his mind follow. Turning his head he looked at Cenred, who was regarding him in amusement, his hand now resting on Merlin's thigh, close to his groin. Again Arthur felt the stirring of panic, and he slowly got to his hands and knees and lifted his head.

"Get off him or I will fucking kill you," he growled, the menace in his voice carrying.

"I think he means that," Morgause said. Cenred chuckled. Arthur tried to get forward again, his co-ordination was starting to fail under the effect of whatever he had been given. His vision blurred as he tried to keep the scene in front of him in sight. The woman, Morgause, had stood up, moving to watch the action unfold. Arthur's mind stirred with the thought that she was the second person, the one that had been in partnership with Cenred.

She was the killer and she had got Merlin back.

Arthur turned and lashed out at her, but she was out of reach and he felt his heart start to pound, the headache increasing in pressure. Morgause stepped back.

"Enough now, Cenred leave him, I don't want our pretty little psychiatrist overexerting himself too soon."

"Hey, I've not had any fun for months."

"Get off him!" Arthur snapped, trying again to get to Merlin. The darkness was slowly moving at the edges of his vision, his mind shutting down, unable to fight whatever he had been given. Something, from what Morgause had said, that was designed to fight his body.

"Cenred!"

She snapped his name, the tone commanding and through blurred vision Arthur saw the man obey, getting up and stepping away. Arthur sprawled on the floor, losing the fight against the drug, he managed to turn his gaze on Merlin for a few seconds before the darkness overwhelmed him completely, hearing Morgause's voice on the edge of his mind.

"We'll have plenty of time."


	11. Chapter 11

**Yey finally finished this chapter... !**

The small group were still gathered in the dining room of the hospital. It didn't make the most ideal of incident rooms, but Uther didn't want to waste time getting back to the station, when they could start from here. Especially since the investigation seemed to have narrowed down to Merlin, and Arthur. They had set up several tables with the information they had. Merlin's pictures and the notes Arthur had made were spread out on one table, the crime reports on another. Now they just needed to put it all together.

"Thank you," Uther said idly to Vivian as she handed him a coffee. The pale, thin girl moved around the room, handing out drinks. She couldn't make herself that useful, but giving out coffee and biscuits made some kind of contribution. She had helped look after Merlin, giving herself a purpose rather than just drifting through the days, as she had done since she had been at the hospital.

"All we need to do now," Morgana said, starting to run though what they knew. "Is link together everything we know, and what Merlin has been trying to tell us, and how directly it links to Arthur."

"Cenred said Merlin was the favourite," Gwaine said, not looking up from the transcript he was reading. "He didn't say Merlin was his favourite, but seemed to be what he was implying, pass me that highlighter will you, darling."

Vivian blinked, but did exactly as she was told before going out to get more drinks.

"Thanks," said Gwaine.

"Maybe I should bring the kettle here," Vivian mused.

"There's that big urn thing in the kitchen somewhere," Lancelot added. "That will probably be better, let's go and look."

"What are you getting at?" Uther asked Gwaine, taking a sip of his coffee.

Gwaine rubbed his eyes and went back to marking things with a highlighter.

"This interview needs to be looked at differently. It's not what he says we need to analyse, it's in the way he says it. I remember doing this one, the first one we did, when it all seemed so wrapped up. He said Merlin was the favourite, we took that to presume Merlin was his favourite, and why he didn't end up dead. Now we know for a fact someone else is involved. What if it means he wasn't just Cenred's favourite, for all we know Cenred might not have liked him at all."

"But he regularly raped him," Uther said.

"Which often has very little to do with the sex, or any particular like of the victim," Nimueh said. She crossed the room and leant over Gwaine, looking at what he was reading. "It has more to do with power, control. Cenred had complete control over those boys, they were helpless against him. Merlin fought back the only way he could, Cenred couldn't control Merlin's mind. He took that completely away from the situation. Gwaine could be very right, we need to look beyond what Cenred actually says to what he may mean, which is not an easy thing to do."

"You're the psychiatrist," Gwaine said, holding up the document.

"Pass that to Gaius, I'm quite interested in the pathology reports and the other victims."

"Do you think you can find anything?" Uther asked.

Nimueh looked up at him. "I don't know, but it has become quite clear that there is more to this case than meets the eye. I know enough about the forensic pathology part of it. It was my mother's area of work, I spent a lot of time in morgues and watching autopsies."

"What a very odd pastime for a child," Gwaine said.

"She hoped that it would become my career, it nearly was. Let me look, I'm a new pair of eyes if nothing else, we need to try and find something that hasn't been noticed before."

"Is this a case of we all shuffle our work around and see what we all come up with?" Gwaine asked.

"It can't hurt," Morgana said. "We need to find a pattern, in what Merlin was trying to say and in what has happened."

"We sent Merlin for a brain scan earlier this week, Arthur went with him. The results should be due, they may help," Gaius said.

"I can go and get them," Lancelot said.

"Gwaine go with him, make sure they know it's important. We don't want to be wasting time on this," Morgana said.

Both Lancelot and Gwaine headed to the door.

"Don't let them hang about, we need the information now," Uther said.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

All Arthur could feel was the throbbing pain in his head. He took slow, deep breaths while his senses told him that something was wrong. Something he should know about. He opened his eyes, and he forced himself to do it. It was like his lids had been stuck together. When he got as far as looking up he stared at a rather uninspiring ceiling. It was a dull grey, the light overhead thick with grime. The bulb glowed as best as it could through the dirt, but Arthur got the feeling he lay somewhere that didn't really get cared for.

He reached up to rub his face and then reality alerted him.

"Christ, Merlin!" Arthur rolled over and groaned. His limbs gave out and he lay on the cold floor for a moment before raising his head, blinking to clear his vision.

"Merlin?" Arthur said.

Merlin hadn't moved. He sat in the same position as when Arthur had passed out. Arthur reached out, only to be brought up short by the handcuffs.

"Merlin?" he repeated the call.

Arthur took a slow deep breath, lifting himself up, wincing as he felt the chill from a breeze sneaking into the room. He glanced up at the window, with it's broken glass. That was the most obvious culprit but Arthur could also feel cold air from underneath. The floorboards were not entirely well placed, there were some gaps and rotted boards. Arthur tried to peer through a gap, but he couldn't see anything clearly, but he decided that he could assume he was on a first floor at the very least. At a rough guess, he decided that the window would not make for a good escape route. Not with Merlin in tow, and Arthur wasn't going to leave him.

"First things first," Arthur muttered to himself, to make himself concentrate. Painstakingly he ran his hand over the chain that secured him to the pipe. It wasn't particularly thick, but he presumed it was enough to hold him, unless he found a weakness. Fumbling along it took him two attempts, searching along the coil to find one link that felt a little different. He pushed his fingers around it, it didn't seem as strong as the others. Wrapping up the chain he made sure he didn't lose where it was, and sitting back, he looked around.

He still felt horribly groggy, and the woman, Morgause, had warned him that moving too much would increase the effects. Arthur made the effort to move slowly, taking his time. It didn't feel like it was a commodity he had in abundance. People were bound to know they were missing, Merlin most especially. His father would be searching for them. The question ran through Arthur's head, would they be found? And he pushed it out the moment it appeared. He couldn't afford to think like that. Not for himself, and not for Merlin. Arthur didn't want to contemplate what this might be doing to Merlin.

"I need to break this damn chain, I need something for leverage."

He glanced up at the window, rolling and kneeling up. The glass was no good, and feeling along the frame he decided any slivers he could pull clear would be too weak. He jumped as there were scrabbling sounds close to him, and in the far corner, their came a squeak.

"Rodents are so not my favourite thing," Arthur said. "What do you think Merlin? Although rabbits are rodents, aren't they, I think. Animal biology was never my strong point."

Arthur knew he was babbling, but he wanted to reassure Merlin, and maybe even himself. Shuffling back he peered down under the radiator, trying to spot any signs of activity. He couldn't see anything, but something did catch his eye. Risking it, imagining rats jumping at his face as he did so, he lowered himself down, and shuffled along, staring into the darkness. He couldn't quite see, but emboldened by his suspicion, he carefully pulled the chain along the pipe, refusing to lose his grip on the weak link he shifted and stretched out a hand, pushing into the shadows, stretching to brush against the object, coaxing it towards him, until his hand wrapped around metal. As he gripped harder, he suspected it was rusty, but it felt strong. He tugged, his heart jumped as there was, for a moment, no give. Adding a little more pressure he tried again, there was a screeching scrap and it freed. Arthur sat back, took a breath and stared.

On reflection, it couldn't be considered that inspiring. But it felt heavy in his hand, strong, with a slight point at the end.

"Is it a tent peg or something?" Arthur asked, then he glanced at Merlin. "Or who cares. This should work."

He fumbled about, shifting again to give himself access to as much of the chain as he could, easing himself back into position as close to Merlin as possible. Something of an adrenaline rush ran through Arthur, and he swayed, but the drugs affect didn't seem as strong. Getting the chain on the floor Arthur pressed the metal to the link. It took him a while to co-ordinate. He really needed someone to add traction to the chain, but in the end he managed to get part of it wrapped loosely around the end of his boot and he stretched out his leg.

On one hefty push the chain slipped from his foot. His shoulder dropped hard against the floor as he lost his balance and his leg scraped against the rough wood floorboards, the material of his chinos rode up his leg and his skin scraped against the floor. Arthur hissed as he felt the grazing, but the pain helped. He sat back and looked around, the link remained pinned under the metal, and on inspection looked to have stretched a little. He needed more power on it.

He moved lower onto his side, bringing his leg up as high as he could, pressing his knee against his chest to catch the chain around his foot. Arthur huffed as his muscles stretched.

"I should have taken mum up on those yoga lessons," he said.

In the end he still managed it, winding a small amount of the chain around his foot and applying as much pressure as he could. He held it, not wanting to release the pressure, when he was determined to believe he had got so far. Black spots started to dance in front of his eyes as he struggled, but he felt it go, and a moment later there was a crash as his foot hit the radiator, accompanied by a light tinkling as the chain broke and the remains of the shattered links scattered. Arthur flopped onto the floor and lay still, panting for breath and desperately trying to control his body. Over the heaving breaths he took he tried to listen for other sounds, mainly, the sound of someone stirring in the house. Since he hadn't exactly been quiet in his efforts one of them could decide to investigate the noise.

As his breathing levelled out, he realised he could hear nothing. Perhaps they were now not even in the house. Arthur had no idea of what Merlin's time had been like. Cenred could have left the boys for hours on end, to a point, that Merlin, when he was alone chained to a corpse, could have been desperate for company, even if it was someone he feared, someone who would hurt him. Arthur blinked, sitting up, a sense of urgency stirring in him. He didn't have time to be sitting here. The sounds he had made had not been responded to, he had to keep moving. He pulled himself clear of the radiator and knelt up, assessing how he actually felt.

It felt something a little beyond tipsy, but not quite to full blown drunk. Arthur wasn't much of a drinker, he failed to see the point of getting drunk. Arthur guessed that might have something to do with the fact he only ever drank alcohol with his parents. Either wine with his mother, or a beer with his father.

"My social life is astounding," Arthur announced. "No wonder my mother is worried. Right, Merlin, we need to get you free now."

Looking round Arthur picked up the lump of metal and crawled to Merlin, reaching out he took his arm, feeling a sense of relief as he connected with Merlin. That was probably part of the torture, chained just that fraction of a distance away from poor Merlin. Merlin's eyes were concentrated on the middle distance, as they always were, but Arthur knew, Merlin's attention was on him.

"We need to find a weak link in the chain, I think this thing is the end of a crowbar, which is good…"

Arthur stopped talking, he had lifted the chain and blinked in surprise. He had caused Merlin's arm to move, and the cuff flicked away from his wrist. Arthur fumbled with it pulling it clear and he reached to Merlin's other arm and as he lifted the cuff seemed to fall away, although Arthur could have swore it had been locked. He had been entirely familiar with handcuffs, since he was nine and managed to lock himself into a pair of his fathers and then couldn't get out, and had been left to sit on the floor of his bedroom until his mother got home. It had been awful, more because he hadn't been able to control his bladder. The humiliation of the memory stung a little, but he'd only been nine, and an idiot. Now he was neither, and he was certain the locks had been secure.

"Never mind, we need to go," Arthur told Merlin. Tentatively Arthur got to his feet, wobbling a little. Standing up was something he hadn't tried yet. Again he got the drunk feeling, surely he could manage that, but he couldn't over exert himself, the drug would attack again. Reaching down for Merlin, gripping him gently, and moving his legs so they were drawn up so Merlin's feet would be under him as he pulled him up, Arthur paused. A drug that was designed to react when you struggled, Arthur said to himself. Merlin had not moved for months, at least not on his own.

He stared at Merlin, who hadn't moved voluntarily, but he responded when someone guided him. Arthur made sure Merlin's legs were secure, drawn up to his chest, and Arthur had taken hold of his arms. Merlin's head hadn't turned.

"You were overdosed, you had withdrawal. How can it still be happening?" Arthur asked, and then he pulled, getting Merlin up onto his feet. Merlin responded to the pull with surprising ease, sending Arthur toppling onto the floor, although Arthur didn't lose his grip, a ripple of tension ran down Merlin's arms and Merlin's hands latched onto Arthur, holding him in return.

"Hang on," Arthur said, slowly freeing him from the grip. "Where's that metal… you're bound to be useful," Arthur informed it tucking it into his belt, easing it through a loop to keep it on him. He swayed again and leant into Merlin. Merlin didn't give under the pressure, he stayed standing and immobile. Arthur got to his feet and looked around.

"And that's good," he added. He was talking an awful lot but he couldn't help it. It was his habit around Merlin and he wanted to keep his focus. He picked up the lump of wood, it was two foot long and fit comfortably in his hand, reaching up he tested the strength, and realised, there was building materials close by.

"The house, it's being renovated."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"We have the scan, not what we know what we are looking at," Gwaine announced running in.

"Well give it here for God's sake boy!" Gaius yelled at him. Gwaine ran to him and gave it. Gaius put it with the others and Nimueh moved to also examine it.

"That part of the brain, the activity seems to have spread to it."

"Yes," Gaius agreed with her. "Did you say one of the other boys had been through a scan?"

"Yes, here," Leon said, sifting through material on another table, and he fetched it over.

"It's not so obvious, but…" Nimueh put them together and then looked up. "Do you have the pathology reports on the bodies, all of them?"

"I think so," Leon said.

"I want to see them, particularly any reference to the skulls."

Leon ran to obey.

"Do you think that's relevant?" Uther asked. The underlying subtone of the question clearly doubted her motives.

"I'm a bit of a black sheep in my family. Like I said, my mother, her grandfather and not me, are forensic pathologists. I know enough, and I can ring mum if I need extra help, but I did train. Now we can't find any other reference to the other boy's brains, except by what their skulls will tell us, and the boy with Merlin…"

"Toby," Uther clarified.

"Yes, Toby, him especially. Do you have the notes on his post-mortem?"

"Yes," Leon said, sifting though the piles of paperwork, finding what was needed with great efficiency. He extracted the relevant beige file and brought it over to Nimueh, who opened it, flicked through and then laid the sheets out on the table. Papers were now spread everywhere, but all were clustered and organised.

"Right, we have what we need, now all we need to do his put the information together," Morgana said. Nimueh pointed.

"Merlin was, quite possibly, trying to tell Arthur something. So we need to try and find a pattern in that; now the information on the bodies that were found, we need to look at in a completely different light, baring in mind some of what Merlin has told us."

"You mean the murder he witnessed?" Gaius asked. Nimueh nodded.

"The one that he couldn't possibly have witnessed, unless you are willing to believe in psychic powers."

"I think, all things considered, we have to believe in those things," Uther said.

"So, we need to look at what we have, regarding these boy's brains, with that in mind."

"Do you have any idea what you might be looking for?" Uther demanded.

"None whatsoever," Nimueh said. "Which means, the moment I find it, I'll know it."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur slowly marshalled his thoughts. Houses were being redeveloped all over the place, he couldn't start trying to think about where he was, until he found his way outside and work from there. Before that, they had to get out. He had to get Merlin out. Arthur hefted the wood in his hand and then paused, tottering on unsteady feet and he put his hand against the wall. He looked at Merlin, and frowned, looking around.

He had to manage his weapon, stay steady and lead Merlin along all at the same time. Arthur decided he could hold the wood, and take Merlin's hand, but if he lost his balance, then Merlin might come down with him, and he'd have to get Merlin back up again. That could waste so many precious seconds, and also make noise. He could leave the wood, he still had the sturdy piece of metal tucked away in his belt. There didn't seem a way to manage it, and he huffed again in irritation as the trails of chain crashed against his legs, he needed rid of them, he didn't want to be falling over them. Putting the wood down for a moment he wrapped the chain around his left arm, securing it, tucking the end in to one of the wraps to prevent it from unfastening. It took him a while, the procedure delicate against his clumsy fingers. He was doing the same to his right arm when he paused, staring dumbly at what he was doing. Arthur blinked and paused, unwinding and then winding back up again, before looking at Merlin.

Merlin was standing next to him, unmoving and yielding. His eyes stared off blankly but were fixed in the direction of the door. Arthur had to get him through it, that was all that mattered. He suddenly unwound the length of chain on his wrist and then moved closer to Merlin. Then he snorted and wrapped up his right arm, even clumsier than before and undid the careful securing on his left wrist. He needed his right hand. Reaching out he took Merlin's right arm and lifted it, slowly he started to wrap the length of excess chain that hung from his left wrist around Merlin's forearm. He secured it about halfway up, not wanting to let the chain bite into Merlin's fragile looking wrist. But this time he didn't tuck it in. He wrapped it round three times and then left it dangling. It was unlikely to unravel, but he might need to free himself from Merlin, if he had to defend him, and defend himself.

"I need you to come with me now, okay Merlin, just follow me, we'll get out of here, I promise."

Merlin blinked and Arthur found his weapon again, holding the length of wood in his hand, gripping it tightly, then he stepped forward. It wasn't so hard to walk, his vision had started to seem steadier, just on occasion it felt as if one eye was working independently as the angle of his view seemed to change and then snap back into normal proportions. Arthur didn't worry about it, he didn't want to contemplate the affects of the drug, he wanted to save Merlin.

"Come on Merlin, I just need you to walk with me now."

Arthur moved, stepping forward, heading towards the door, his arm trailed back for a moment before he drew it forward. Merlin's arm lifted, stretching out until the tension of the chain took, and Arthur gave a gentle tug. Merlin took a step, then another, and as Arthur went towards the door Merlin shuffled along behind, using the gait that Arthur was entirely familiar with. Everyone in the hospital knew it, they all knew Merlin's patterns. After a few steps, Merlin just carried on moving, knowing that Arthur would keep going. He'd walk now as long as Arthur did, as he did at the hospital, until he reached his destination.

This time Arthur didn't know where that was, but he had to go out into the unknown, and face Cenred, and the blonde woman, Morgause. Whatever she wanted from Merlin, she had to go through him. Arthur, as he reached the doorway and stared down into the bare, forlorn looking corridor, didn't feel like much of a threat. He felt like he was only staying upright by sheer will, and he didn't know how well he could fight the way he was.

As Arthur paused Merlin almost walked into him. He stayed close to Arthur's back, waiting patiently.

"I'm going to get you out of here, you'll be safe Merlin, I promise," Arthur said.

Since his voice was slurring he couldn't be entirely sure that he was convincing. Merlin, however, seemed happy enough, as he shuffled along after Arthur, following the tug of the lead. Once he had Merlin moving Arthur was reluctant to stop, but he paused at doorways, finding the lights and looking into the rooms. He took them into one room, a sad looking iron bedstead lay against the far wall. There was no mattress, no sign that anyone paid any attention to the house. The window's frames had been changed. Plastic now surrounded them, but there was no glass, just a cover of tarpaulin that appeared to be secured from the outside.

Arthur headed across to the window, Merlin shuffling along behind him. He carefully propped the lump of wood against the wall and reaching out pushed on the blue material. It gave a little and he tried to look out, but all he could see was darkness. His hand slipped against the smooth, shiny tarpaulin as he pressed harder. But it did no good, there was no way of seeing clearly. The only illumination was from the dull bulb overhead.

"That's no good, maybe another window will be more helpful," but again even as Arthur considered that his mind went back to the practicality of getting Merlin's to climb through a window. Arthur couldn't guide him.

"We could try and find a fire door or something," he mused. Merlin gave no response as they made their way to the door. Just as he was about to pull them out into the corridor Arthur's arm was drawn back. He paused and turned. Merlin had stopped walking. Arthur blinked, tugging gently, Merlin's arm moved with the pull but he didn't step forward.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, swaying as he stood there, looking at Merlin. He almost repeated Merlin's name but he paused as he heard the sound of wood creaking. Arthur turned his head and listened. A slow steady tread made their way towards them. It was getting louder with each step. Arthur tensed, stepping sideways in the room and flicking off the room light. Merlin moved as Arthur tugged again, shuffling closer to him as Arthur huddled against the wall, hiding in the shadows. He cursed under his breath, not remembering if he had turned all the lights off in the rooms he had looked into.

He pressed Merlin against the wall and continued to listen as the tread came closer. Arthur pressed his lips together, his breathing sounding horribly loud as he timed it to the sounds of the footsteps. There was only one pair, heavy seeming. Arthur pushed himself back against the wall, peering through the doorway. Slowly he unwound the chain from Merlin's arm, he might need to be free to deal with this. He gripped Merlin's wrist as he waited, listening as the steps came closer. Considering the weight of the tread Arthur guessed it was Cenred, alone, probably coming to amuse himself with Merlin. Rage surged through Arthur, like a painful heat in his chest. He couldn't let this man get near Merlin. His vision swam again at the sudden surge of adrenaline. Arthur took a deep breath, which he held for a few seconds.

During that pause, Cenred strolled past. Arthur clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the wood, exhaling slowly. It was now or never. Taking his chance Arthur stepped out, swinging the wood as hard as he could.

By some instinct Cenred seemed to sense him, spinning round and raising his arm to deflect the wood. Arthur still heard a very satisfying crack as his weapon connected with Cenred's arm. Cenred hissed with pain, but reacted swiftly as Arthur attempted another blow. He caught hold of the wood, yanking it from Arthur's grip, the force of that off balanced Arthur as he fell, pitching into the wall, winding himself. He hit the floor, struggling to rise again as his vision blurred. Cenred loomed over him, Arthur tried kicking out, but missed and light exploded behind Arthur's eyes as he received a blow to the head. Arthur flew sideways sprawling face down on the floor. He gasped, shaking his head and blinking to try and recover himself. Behind him he heard Cenred laugh.

"Feisty aren't you?"

Arthur snarled, struggling up onto his hands and knees, one hard kick from Cenred sent him sprawling back onto the floor again. For a moment the world spun, and then when Arthur blinked, he looked at Merlin's trainers. He had moved and now stood in the doorway.

"Trying to get our little Merlin safely away," Cenred drawled. Arthur snarled, he had no idea where the wood had gone but he still had the metal. Fumbling for it, he struggled to get it out of his belt, without Cenred seeing what he was doing. For the moment, Cenred didn't pay him any attention. Instead, his attention was focused on Merlin. Cenred had taken a step towards him.

Pulling himself together Arthur got up on all fours and lashed out with his fish, punching Cenred on the back of his leg. Cenred staggered, but it turned his attention back to Arthur, as he tried to get up. Cenred retaliated by grabbing the length of wood and smacking it into Arthur's knee. He yelped and crashed down to the floor again, and he floundered for a few seconds, trying to catch his breath, and prevent himself from passing out. The pain helped with that, as his leg rippled with shockwaves, a blossoming of white hot pain spreading from his kneecap.

Then it got even worse as he felt Cenred's hands on him. One grabbed at his backside before sliding between his legs, the other snaked into his hair before moving down his neck, clamping hard on his scruff. Arthur gasped as Cenred explored him.

"You're a little older than I go for, but needs must I suppose. You do seem almost as innocent as my little Merlin."

Arthur gave a whimper of panic as Cenred's twisted his grip so he could reach the zip of Arthur's trousers, yanking it down, his hand sliding in to fondle Arthur's groin.

"Or maybe I should let you watch, while I fuck my little Merlin. Did you ever wonder what it was like? What it would be like to have him?"

Arthur's emotions shot from horrified to furious. He twisted, ignoring the probing hand, and his fingers took a firmer grip of the metal, dragging it from his belt, ripping the belt loop in the process. But he didn't care, he turned, looking up at a smirking Cenred, and pulling back his arm Arthur thrust out as hard as he could.

He met resistance, so he presumed he hit Cenred somewhere. It was confirmed as Cenred's eyes widened in shock. He pulled away from Arthur, struggling to get his hand out of Arthur's trousers. Arthur just carried on pushing, his arm gaining a sudden impetus. It felt like something knocked against his elbow, pushing his arm harder, but Arthur guessed he must have hit the wall or something. Cenred fell back, Arthur dragged along with him. There was a sickening ripping sound and Arthur tensed as Cenred's hands grabbed for him. Arthur tried to push him away, wanting to get away from him.

The whole thing seemed to happen so strangely, Arthur's actions felt disjointed from what he thought was happening. He recoiled from Cenred, pushing him away, and somehow sending him against the wall, although Arthur hadn't really though he had any strength with which to do so.

All he could do was sit back, blinking to clear his vision again. He almost brought his hand up to wipe his face, and then paused, eyes widening in shock as he looked at the deep red marring his palm. It was literally dripping from his hand, and he hadn't even noticed it was wet. Blinking again Arthur looked up. The metal was embedded in Cenred's stomach and the fall had ripped open his navel. Blood was pouring from the wound, spreading out onto the floor. Arthur shuffled back although the pool of blood was unlikely to reach him. Cenred stared at him with wide eyes, hands over the wound, but they did nothing to stem the flow of blood.

Arthur crawled to the far wall, fumbling for the doorframe and using that to lever himself upright. Merlin still stood patiently in the doorway. Arthur assessed his position, he had moved from where Arthur had left him, hidden safely in the shadows.

"Merlin?" Arthur slurred the word, reaching out for him, taking his arm again, staggering sideways he struggled to get hold of the chain to put around Merlin's wrist again. Very slowly he secured it as Cenred gave a weak gasp of shock. Arthur turned to look at him, assessing the man on the floor, part of his mind informing him that he had done that. There wasn't any emotion attached to the thought. It was just there, to be seen. Arthur took two careful steps and Merlin shuffled along with him. Arthur had lost both of his weapons, one lay by Cenred's head, the other in his body, but he had to carry on.

He took two more steps and then turned to look at Cenred, who stared at him weakly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"I did warn you," Arthur said.


	12. Chapter 12

"That's it!" Nimueh said, dropping two pictures down onto the table, photographs of two of the skulls detailing some of the damage that had been done. It had been a little hard for anyone to confirm if anything had been damaged while the boys were still alive. However, they now appeared to be working from an entirely different remit, which changed every perception.

"Let me see Toby's post mortem file again," Nimueh asked Gaius, who passed it over without a word. Uther came to stand on her other side and looked at the photographs.

"You have something?"

"Maybe…"

"Ah, this is impossible!" Leon exploded from the other side of the room, smacking his laptop in frustration. He glared at it, as if that would cause it to submit.

"What?" Gwaine asked, while he filtered through all the crime reports and Cenred's interviews.

"This trail, I'm trying to work though Cenred's company files, but it's like trying to unravel a spider's web!"

"Oh, web, funny!" Gwaine said brightly, only to have everyone in the room glower at him. He hunched his shoulders. "You know, the world wide web…"

He received further glowering, and Leon added. "That's half the problem, he's got investments in companies, and design work and companies within companies. He was an internet specialist, I'm not. I can't work this out. He does have some contacts within property markets, and rebuilding investments, I wanted to see if I could find something that might give us a location."

"And no luck presumably," Morgana said.

"Some, but the more I find leaves me with even more to then look for. I don't think this is going to work Sir, sorry."

"Keep trying, let Vivian do some of the work," Uther said, as he watched the girl lingering around the room. "We have another laptop don't we?"

"I've got my own," she said, pausing from making coffee and heading towards the door. "It was a present, when I reached seven stone."

"What do you get if you reach eight?" Gwaine asked.

"A sports car!" Vivian hollered back as she ran down the corridor. Gwaine raised his eyebrows, while Leon smacked his forehead against the screen of his own laptop.

"Was that productive?" Morgana asked him. Leon rubbed his forehead, although it wasn't really hurting all that much.

"Not really," Leon said and went back to typing.

"All right for some," Gwaine said watching Vivian's slim form as she ran and then dodged to her right to head up the main stairs.

"You could always try the wall," Morgana advised. Leon gave her a dirty look.

"She's never spoken that openly before," Gaius said to Nimueh.

"No, there's been a bit of a recent shift," she mused. "Don't mention it again," she advised Gwaine.

"She started it!" Gwaine objected, Nimueh glowered at him. Uther stepped between them, looking down at what Nimueh was studying.

"What do you have?"

"I think I have an answer."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The building was odd, and seemed to be something of an irregular shape. Arthur headed one direction, and came to a dead end. Glancing about he found six rooms, which looked to have recently been worked on, with en suites being added to them. The pipes looked bare, almost skeletal, as they poked out from the walls, waiting for the bathrooms to be installed. Were they in a hotel he wondered, or something that was being converted into a hotel, or a hostel. This was a reason for reading the local papers, something that Arthur didn't do. His mother no doubt knew, she read the local news avidly, often commenting to him on the things she read, and on his lack of interest in current affairs. Now he cursed it himself.

Getting annoyed about it now, he informed himself, was not going to do any good. He had to concentrate on getting Merlin out. The one thing he frustratingly couldn't find seemed to be a fire door. Whatever the rooms were being built for, there would for safety reasons need to be a fire door. Arthur had shuffled slowly around, the pace they were struggling along with worried him, their escape was not a speedy thing. Taking another corner he came to a halt, propping his shoulder against a wall. Obediently Merlin paused behind him, standing close to Arthur, his body almost brushing against his.

Arthur must have got confused, on the way back. He had somehow backtracked to the original corridor. He looked at Cenred's body, during their brief absence he had died, his eyes staring off, fixed and unfocused. The pool of blood around his body had spread, and Arthur heard the sound of something dripping, the steady, almost patient noise, making him shudder. Arthur blinked again, forcing his own vision to clear. The edges of things shuddered in and out of focus, colours blurring together. He had to stay conscious, he had to keep moving, he had to get Merlin away. Turning Arthur looked at him. Merlin's gaze seemed as fixed as Cenred's and although Merlin wasn't looking directly at the body Arthur had the feeling that Merlin was aware of it. And he didn't want him seeing it, he shifted their position so they were facing away, but then Arthur slowly turned back.

The lump of wood lay on the ground, just by Cenred's head. He'd have to walk past him to get it, but then he would have a weapon. Cenred had somehow found the strength to pull the metal from his stomach, but it hadn't done him any good. It now lay in the palm of his right hand, Arthur could make use of that again, if he had to. It would be foolish to leave them, to give themselves no protection whatsoever. Arthur felt a sudden rush of instinct. It would only take a moment, to get his weapons. Without even realising it he had stepped forward, his mind already, unconsciously, made up. It occurred to him when Merlin slowly started to shuffle along with him. Arthur stopped, and so did Merlin. Very carefully Arthur unwound the chain from Merlin's arm. He didn't want Merlin close to Cenred. It would be unfair to put him any nearer to the man who had done this to him. Even though Cenred was dead, he could do Merlin no more harm, Arthur didn't want him there. Arthur himself didn't feel too keen to go close to him. He certainly would not have if Cenred had still been alive, it wouldn't have mattered that he was badly injured, Arthur wouldn't have trusted him. Cenred was a vicious, evil man, capable of what appeared to be anything. Even injured he was dangerous, only with him dead did Arthur feel safe. He took a few more steps and then paused again.

"Merlin no," Arthur said, realising that Merlin was still following him. Arthur looked at him carefully, nothing had changed, Merlin's expression remained slack and unresponsive. But Merlin had been led around by Arthur and the other staff at the hospital, now he was just doing as he was told. At least that was what Arthur presumed. He couldn't think anything different.

"Just stay there Merlin." Arthur emphasized the order by taking Merlin's upper arms lightly and pushing a little. He didn't force Merlin back but hinted that he wanted him to stay exactly where he was.

"Wait there, I just need to get the wood, and that metal, we might need them."

Arthur let him go and backed up, staggering as the corridor spun, his head aching as he tried to concentrate. Arthur fell forward, trying to keep himself upright. He must have taken a step or so, because he knocked into Merlin, putting a hand on Merlin's shoulder to try and steady himself. Arthur's knees buckled and his grip tightened on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin remained immobile against him, swaying under the pressure of Arthur's weight but refusing to give under it. Arthur used it to steady himself, lowering his head and taking three, slow, deep breaths.

"Sorry, Merlin. Just stay there now," Arthur said, straightening up and turning away, stumbling again as he stepped towards Cenred. "I don't want you anywhere near him."

Truth be told, Arthur didn't want to be anywhere near him. He could still somehow feel Cenred's hands on him, and there was a sickening sense of horror at the thought of what might have happened. Slowly Arthur reached down to take the metal from Cenred's hand. As Arthur's fingertips brushed against his skin he felt the warmth still coming from the body. The metal was slick with blood, also warm. Arthur gritted his teeth and tried not to think about it, using a clear piece of material on Cenred's shirt, just on his shoulder to take the worst of it off before tucking it carefully back into his belt, securing it as he had before. Then staggering further up, he picked up the lump of wood. It felt reassuring to have the solid weight in his hand, and it had proved its worth. He had dealt with Cenred, there was just the woman, Morgause. Arthur could deal with her.

He could live with some hope that perhaps she was nowhere near. Cenred had been left to mind them, as he had the other boys. Arthur didn't know how often she had been with him. There was no way for him to know. It was something he was best not to think about. All he had to think about was taking Merlin from here, and getting him to safety. Arthur was forced to put the wood down, propping it against the wall while he wound the chain around Merlin's arm again. Then they shuffled off down the corridor, away from Cenred, while Arthur carefully turned the corner and looked around. He had taken the corridor branching off to the right last time. On coming back he had presumably just taken the turning back to where they had started. Looking around, that appeared to be what he had done.

"Let's try this way Merlin, there has to be way out. And we'll get help. I'll look after you."

Strengthened by that resolved they headed off, Merlin obediently trundling after Arthur. They shuffled along, Arthur listening carefully for any sign of Morgause. He paused every few steps just to check if he could hear anything but Arthur couldn't clearly discern any sounds. There didn't even seem to be any from outside, he couldn't hear even the faintest hum of traffic. Instead there was silence and an intense feeling of isolation.

Arthur couldn't let himself think about it, the silence around him. Reaching out he put a hand around Merlin's slim wrist, holding gently as he pulled him along. At the touch Merlin shuffled closer to him, and Arthur's anxiety eased. He could do this. The hope became brighter as they made their way down the corridor and stopped at a flight of stairs. Peering down, it looked gloomy but Arthur caught faint traces of light and what looked like an open area. Considering the layout of the building, he could assume it was a hallway of some kind. Arthur wobbled as he stared down, a vague sensation of vertigo sweeping over him, and to his despair he realised the banister on the stairway was missing. They could use the wall to go down, but they would have to be careful. There was a half landing where they could pause and reassess the situation.

"Come on Merlin, we'll go down this side."

Arthur paused by the wall, he had to consider the logistics of the situation, and frustration rose inside him as he realised it might be easier if he left the lump of wood behind. Then he could use the wall to steady himself and then steady Merlin. Arthur shifted about, considering it, they could only work one step at a time anyway, and he was loath to leave the weapon since he had managed to reacquire it.

"We'll try shall we, stand still Merlin,"

Arthur released Merlin's wrist and put a hand against his navel, to stop Merlin from automatically stepping forward. He couldn't risk Merlin taking a tumble. They were still bound together. It occurred to Arthur that perhaps he could detach himself, but then he'd only have to tie the chain back on again. He could manage.

It ended up working quite well, although the process remained painfully slow as Arthur took one step, then got Merlin down and then took another. He paused on the half-landing, crouching to try and get a clear view of the area. Arthur frowned as he scanned it. For some reason it felt oddly familiar, an instinct stirring in him that he had perhaps seen it somewhere before. His vision blurred again as he stared so hard, and no answer seemed forthcoming.

There were again signs of the building work, and indications that the original structure was old, and being updated. There was even a chandelier hanging down from the ceiling, a ladder underneath stretching up to reach it. The crystals on the fitting were grey with dust and again Arthur's mind stirred with the idea that he had seen it somewhere before. Mentally he flicked back through any places he might have been, but nothing with any such significance.

It probably didn't matter. His muddled mind was just probably a little confused. Instead he went back to getting Merlin onto level ground, and again Arthur looked around. There was a door to one side, some sort of counter, piles of wood and building equipment. Arthur's vision blurred again and he lifted his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. It felt hot and sodden against his knuckles. He jumped a mile as Merlin's hand came with his own, still attached, Merlin's fingertips catching in his hair and touching his scalp. Arthur jumped as if burnt, the sensation almost sending a shock through him. His vision momentarily cleared and then blurred again.

"Come on Merlin, let's try that door," Arthur said, heading towards the wooden structure. He also glanced across at the metal panels that ran along one side, perhaps securing the building. They could be close to getting outside, and once they got out, they could get away. Arthur felt very sure of that. He turned again, looking around, seeing the whole thing from a slightly different angle, and he blinked, freezing in place. His vision blurred again, but Arthur was getting used to that, the effect of it gradually becoming far less severe as he worked with it. Now he let it blur, scanning the scene again and his eyes locked on the chandelier and the ladder.

"Not a tree," Arthur murmured. "Or a water tower."

He let it refocus and fade out again. It was not deceiving him. Arthur glanced at Merlin. Merlin wasn't really looking at the scene, but he didn't need to. He had drawn it, Merlin had seen it all before. Arthur didn't doubt that all of those indistinct backgrounds could be made sense of, because he had it now. Merlin had drawn it, he had seen it, and at the same time he had also sensed a danger, to Arthur. And more than that, Arthur realised, Merlin had seen the entire thing through his eyes. Arthur felt his heart start to pound, and there was a rush of panic as the adrenaline made the sensations even worse.

What was it Morgause had called him, empathic, Arthur brought the word to mind. Some sort of ability. Attuned to his patients and quite obviously attuned to Merlin. Arthur reached out and took Merlin's wrist again, then moved to his hand, feeling the sudden shock almost rushing up his arm. It was not like electricity, Arthur couldn't really describe the warm sudden flow of power, crawling up and making his skin tingle.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, confused and horrified. Then he jumped as there was a scuffling sound, and Morgause's voice growled from somewhere in the blurred shadows.

"What have you done?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"It was these two fractures, on each of these skulls, both in a very similar place, but different in their design and intensity."

"Considering Merlin's injury it was thought it might have been a similar thing, they were killed by a head injury, but they weren't consistent with the type of damage that would cause," Gwaine said.

"It wouldn't be."

"Those bodies were found when the field was ploughed. Some of that was attributed to the machinery damaging the skeletons," Uther said.

"Perhaps, but no, it's the fracture pattern here," she said, carefully pointing to one of the pictures. "Quite frankly, I would say, with what we know, that the damage isn't quite what we thought. If I looked at it now, probably without what knowledge I currently have, I would say the damage occurred from the inside. The fracture started on the inside of the skull."

"How would that happen?" Lancelot asked.

"We use the fact that they had some kind of mental talent," Leon said looking up as Vivian came bustling back into the room carrying her laptop. She pulled a chair close to where he was sitting and dropped into it, dumping her laptop down on the papers he had been referring to. Leon huffed and yanked them out.

"Sorry," Vivian said, helping shift them about. "What are we looking for?"

"Start with that company, and the info there, see if you can find any other connections."

Vivian peered at the papers and shrugged. "Talk about a needle in a haystack."

"Exactly," Nimueh said to Leon's first comment. "We only have two brain scans to go on, Merlin's mainly, but also Jason's. Now there is this little spot here, not too unusual but see where it is."

"That red area, on Merlin's scan is in a similar place to the damage," Uther said, he passed some of the pictures to Morgana for her to study.

Nimueh nodded. "No two brains work completely identically, each person thinks differently. There can be similarities but a person is unique in themselves. If we assume that their 'talents' were part of why they wanted these boys, then presumably they were made use of. Cenred's treatment of them would have stimulated certain emotions, fear, confusion, maybe even arousal on some levels."

"Are you saying they might have been feeding like some kind of vampire?" Morgana said.

"It's an overdramatic analogy, but a fairly accurate one. But if you stimulate something, the brain reacts, and this could be what has happened."

"Are you saying their brains exploded?" Gaius asked.

"The doctors at the hospital were concerned about the pressure on Merlin's brain, they relieved it on this side of his skull, here, if you take that as pressure, the skulls have literally fractured outwards. In Toby's autopsy you do have evidence of some level of pressure, the skull is enlarged."

"But the brain was not," Gaius said.

"Like Morgana said. Maybe somehow this vampire took it away."

"Fuck me!" Vivian said, loudly, while she stared at her laptop. Leon's head snapped round.

"What?"

"I mean seriously," Vivian said.

"Really?" Leon asked. Vivian looked round, glancing at Leon. Then she looked back to her laptop turning it so he could see, and she pointed.

"Look at that!"

"It's a group of people, with Cenred."

"At a business launch."

"Just before he was arrested."

"Not the interesting bit, she is," Vivian said pointing at the screen.

"Why?" Uther asked, moving round to look.

"'Cos I went to a show thing with my father, just before this, I was banged up here when this event happened. I saw her, she didn't look like that!"

"How did she look?"

"She looked like she was dying of something, hang on! I've got it somewhere, I looked better than she did and that was saying something!"

"In what way?" Nimueh asked. Vivian looked up.

"I weighed six and a half stone, I looked better. Hang on, here it is, look at her. It was some charity event thing…"

Leon peered at the shot before it was taken out of range and she showed it to Uther.

"See, and a few months later… Look at her. Look at me here, I look better and I weigh next to nothing. What the hell has she got?"

"Merlin, it would seem," Percival said lingering in a corner and having no idea what to do.

"Do you know her name and can we try and find any hospital records. We need more than just two photographs Vivian, give me a trail," Uther said. "Percival, I want you ready to move when we need to. As soon as we get a lead you need to hit the ground running."

"Yes, Sir," he got up and ran out, looking grateful.

"Look at her, this shot is months later, what the hell is she taking? I want some."

"Go back!" Leon snapped.

"What to the other one?" Vivian asked.

"No, no, no, that one of you."

"Thanks. I really should have got rid of all those pictures."

Leon looked at her. "I won't look at you I promise, and thank God you didn't," he said. Instead he pointed to the top left corner of her screen. "Flip it back and look there."

Vivian gritted her teeth and did so, then frowned. She ignored her own pale, skeletal face, topped with thinning, dull blonde hair, instead she looked at where Leon was pointing. So did Uther.

"That's Merlin!" Leon announced.

"It bloody is!" Vivian said. "It is, it's Merlin, what's he doing there?"

"He does waitering doesn't he?" Lancelot asked.

"He worked in a sandwich shop," Uther snapped.

"NO, oh my God, no, no, not just that. He was part time, booked when he was needed, by this company. It's a catering firm, does corporate things!" Gwaine almost launched himself out of his seat, waving the bit of paper. "They have a core staff, but carry a list of temporary staff if they need extra help on events, big corporate things, weddings and stuff. Merlin's on the list!"

"Merlin's bloody there!" Vivian said, stabbing the screen.

"But not all the boys could have been found that way," Morgana said. "We can't presume that is the entire connection."

"Cenred took the boys, he might have been looking for them, but I think we can safely establish, she might have been searching with him. She wants these boys," Uther said.

"Cenred wanted them too," Morgana added.

"She knew his preference, and he knew what she wanted. Surely that works between them. If she saw Merlin and wanted whatever he had, Cenred could have tracked him down. The other boys could just be a coincidence," Uther said.

"Maybe, the definition of this area of Merlin's brain is bigger than the other boys as perhaps these wounds suggest. Any way to create high emotion, as these people have done, will tap into something, a well of power that might not have been accessible. Cenred prefers boys, maybe this woman does too."

"So they are finding some. Cenred picks them up, but you are making it entirely conceivable that she is choosing them."

"Merlin was the one to live the longest," Gwaine said. "And the most recent one died in hours. We don't have entirely accurate timescales on the other ones we found, and Arthur implied, and Cenred didn't deny, there were more."

"In theory anyone can display a level of high brain function like this," Elena said. "I always know when it's my mum on the phone because the ring sounds irritated! I can't to it for anyone else, I always know it's her, but I can't predict next weeks lottery numbers, as nice as it would be. Does that count?"

"Yes, it could," Gaius said. "There is all this theory about how we have innate senses, the sixth sense. Small minor talents, can clearly help her, extreme emotion probably causes it. But the last murder, survival instinct, that would be a rush of power and emotion. She killed him quickly, almost scaring the boy to death."

"A quick fix," Gwaine said. "That was a quick fix."

"But she's suddenly moving now, why do anything, what was Cenred doing," Nimueh asked.

"Boys mostly," Gwaine added, not flinching as he came under the ray of several glares.

"Pubescent, innocent boys are what lies in Cenred's radar. There was two occasions in the prison they had to move people away from him. He's big and bad, there was a youth there, no more than a kid really, committed a murder… quite clinically… and was scared by one thing."

"Cenred?"

"Exactly, this cool little customer was fine until he came close to him. Cenred did all the work, but like the rest of what he did, all these companies and investments, maybe there was a third person."

"I don't think they are making a move," Lancelot said. "I think they're desperate. Something has made them need to do this."

"But what has caused this sudden chain reaction, why are they doing anything now. What's new?" Uther demanded.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Arthur Pendragon."

Never had his name been spoken with such contempt. He turned to look seeing nothing in the shadows but there was a dragging sound. Arthur glanced at the nearby door.

"It won't take you anywhere."

Arthur continued to shuffle towards the door. "I'm really going to take your word for that."

"How fast can you go?"

There was a level of threat which made Arthur pull closer to Merlin.

"I'll stay and fight if I have to."

"How very admirable!" her voice hissed. Arthur turned again. She was almost crawling over the counter and his stomach churned as he backed up, pulling Merlin with him, dragging him back.

Morgause staggered around the newly built counter one hand lay on her navel and her eyes locked with his. Arthur felt his eyes roll back, the sensation almost painful. She gave a hiss, a sound that was more reptilian than anything else. Arthur forced himself to focus, looking at her carefully. He couldn't honestly be certain but she looked to be fading before his eyes.

When he had previously seen her the long blonde hair had looked glossy and perfectly waved. Now it seemed frizzy and so dry that it could possibly shatter if he grabbed it in his fist. Her skin looked grey, decaying was the only word Arthur could think of. Arthur turned to look at Merlin. He was pale, but the glow of his skin looked normal. Blinking quite drunkenly Arthur looked down at his own hand, then he looked back up at her, recoiling back as he realised she was advancing. Arthur stumbled, falling down. Merlin jerked with him but thankfully stayed standing.

He had to get up, Arthur knew that. He struggled to find purchase on the floor, the soles of his shoes squeaking against the new tiles that had been laid on the floor. What was happening in the building seemed so bloody random. Rooms half done, parts left everywhere, Arthur thought to himself. He also realised he couldn't get up and she was getting nearer. Merlin had stopped moving, he stood still, the tether between him and Arthur holding. Arthur followed it, his fingers moving up the chain until he gripped Merlin's wrist. Sitting up he worked his way further up Merlin's arm and then used his other hand to grip higher and he got himself to his knees. Looking up he glanced at Morgause, who was still steadily struggling towards them. Arthur tensed as he looked at her eyes that were flashing gold. There was no light in the world that could cause that. Arthur looked up, wanting to concentrate on getting up, but he faltered as he looked up at Merlin and realised Merlin's vacant eyes were stirring with the same sort of glow. He didn't directly look at Morgause but his eyes were trained in that direction. Arthur stared up and then looked back to her. Arthur started to struggle to get onto his feet, he needed to move Merlin.

As he started to get up something seemed to happen to his legs, he wasn't entirely sure if something hit him, or if his legs just refused to function. All he knew was he went down, slammed his shoulder against the floor. The ripples of pain helped his mind steady, fighting the drug. Arthur looked around, gasping. Again Merlin's hadn't moved, and Morgause was almost on them. Arthur rolled and with a supreme amount of effort knelt up. He looked at Morgause again, she was clutching at her stomach, her fingers clawing against it, hissing as she looked at him.

"What is happening to you?" Arthur asked. "It's like I… stabbed you."

She hissed again, her knees buckling. Arthur couldn't get up but he yanked his arm back, pulling the chain tethering Merlin. At the tug Merlin complied to take a step backwards. Arthur shuffled back and dragged Merlin again. Morgause continued to relentlessly stagger towards them.

"You did," she snarled. "Cenred was nothing more than a tool, a conduit, a perfect device for what I wanted."

"Until he got himself caught; and he was still a person, with a life, however sad it was."

"Nobody cared. But he liked it, he enjoyed what he did. The touch of that soft flesh, watching the bruises rise on their skin. He really liked that on Merlin, so pale and fragile. You feel the same."

"I do not!" Arthur snapped.

"Oh, you didn't like it, when you pushed that thing into Cenred's gut, you didn't like that power. You killed him, you took his life, you've taken that power, whether you wanted it or not."

"I did it to protect Merlin," Arthur said, hopefully putting enough warning in his voice that he would do it again. He wouldn't hesitate, poor Merlin stood there unable to react and utterly vulnerable.

"Oh, poor little Merlin. So well protected by his devoted psychiatrist."

Arthur wondered how she had managed to get that word out, her voice was fading, lisping, her mouth starting to move as if her jaw would fall off with too much use.

"It is my job."

"Is it, my little man? And why is that? You don't understand, even now. The only person who could seem to get through to him, through his pathetic shell. You who can see when he's nervous, when he's happy, knowing so many things about him without him even saying a word. That little empathic part of you, you don't even know it's there, do you?"

"That's just a cheap way of saying that I am good at my job. I'm observant, and I talk to my patients. I make the effort to understand people," Arthur said. His words started to slur, and he have to carefully pronounce everything he said, but he was fairly certain that he got his point across.

Morgause staggered forward advancing on them.

"You'll be perfect."

"Why? What makes me so special?"

Morgause laughed, her arm losing grip on the desk so she fell a little further forward. Arthur tried to pull back. She glared at him for a moment before looking up at Merlin.

"Don't you want to fight for your man?"

Arthur felt a surge of anger. "Leave him alone, he has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, he has everything to do with this. Little Merlin, perfect in everyway. You thought Cenred found the boys, some of them were nice to play with, there wasn't any harm in letting him have some fun. Even the most base of them could generate something, but Merlin, I saw him, I chose him."

"That's why he was alive, you didn't want Cenred to kill him."

Morgause snorted, something very slimy looking flew out of her nose and splatted on the floor. Arthur stared at it in disgust, his stomach churning. He heard her take another step forward and he tried to pull back. But Merlin refused, he stood exactly where he was.

"Merlin? Don't you dare," he added to Morgause as she moved forward.

"Cenred wouldn't have killed any of them, he liked them. There was no fun in taking their life, not for him. He liked to play."

Arthur watched her, horror mounting up in him. As she used the counter to prop herself up she was almost grinding against it. Arthur looked away, staring at the phlegm that she had excreted from her nose. It was tinged with pink, looking back up at her he felt his eyes narrow, there was a trace of blood around her nostrils.

"You killed them all, and there were more than six of them."

"All useless. People think that girls are the ones with power, all that sexual energy, spirits attracted to their bleeding. Oh, so often the boys are overlooked, girls can be so emotional, and boys just keep it all pent up."

"What did you do to them?" Arthur snarled.

His head started to pound, panic setting in, rushing over him, but then it calmed. Arthur looked up at Merlin, his eyes were glowing. Arthur closed his eyes and then opened them again. He was not imagining it. Merlin's eyes were behaving in exactly the same way as Morgause's. He remained utterly unmoveable, and Arthur didn't think that had anything to do with his weakened state.

"Merlin?"

"He thinks he can fight me."

"I can do that first," Arthur snarled, trying to get up, but his legs still refused to work. Arthur gritted his teeth, scrabbling up again. But he couldn't keep himself upright, he crashed down again. It had to be the drug, he told himself, trying to calm the growing panic. Arthur looked up at Merlin. His poor helpless Merlin, who must have suffered the same thing, a drug that immobilized him as he had fought. Arthur saw the flash of Merlin's eyes again. Arthur's hand slid upwards, his fingers brushing against the warm skin of Merlin's hand. Again he felt the hard, sudden jolt of warmth, like energy. It washed over him, a gentle breeze enveloping him, calming the rush of his body. Arthur had a moment to focus himself before Morgause spoke again.

"You're perfect, even stronger than Cenred."

Arthur raised his head. "What?"

Morgause laughed, the sound hollow, filled more with hate than humour. She fixed Arthur with a penetrating gaze.

"You still don't get it do you. He's like you." Arthur reared back as the expression on her face twisted with anger. "He was like you. Why do you think he enjoyed those boys, he loved feeling all those emotions."

"And what did you get out of it?" Arthur asked. "There's obviously something, how are you connected to him."

"The energy, the release of emotions creates energy, I took that from Cenred, he fed me."

"Like a psychic vampire," Arthur murmured. He had read things about it before, he had made a point to make his repertoire as widespread as possible, looking up even the most obscure things. Quite often he didn't believe what he read, and Igraine had often admonished him for even bothering to give them the time of day. But now he wondered what he had been looking for. It certainly seemed to be what both Cenred and Morgause believed, and Merlin, there was still Merlin. So still and quiet, able to see things that were happening when he was nowhere near them. Merlin had been caught in the web of what they were doing, now it appeared Arthur had landed in the same predicament.

Morgause stepped away from the counter, straightening up, moving forward carefully. Arthur pulled Merlin back again, encouraging him back a step, but he could feel the tension in Merlin's body. Arthur tightened his grip on Merlin's hand, wanting to reassure, and wanting to make sure they didn't separate. He gasped in shock, and mild pain, as the hand in his clenched hard, squeezing his fingers. It occurred to the point that Arthur almost, by reflex, tried to yank his hand away. He could have put the fact that he didn't down to the drug weakening him. In the end he simply couldn't get away. The pain seemed to make his entire arm burn. Merlin didn't want him to let go.

Arthur took a deep breath and then turned to look at Morgause. She stood straighter, as if she had suddenly found some level of strength. Arthur fought to keep his vision clear, but his head had started to pound, a distinct pain stirring just behind his eyes.

"You're not taking him," Arthur said, his voice firm, suddenly strong, if wavering a little. He kept his gaze on the woman in front of him. Her eyes almost glowed as she stared down at him.

"You're not taking Arthur from me."

The moment the words came out of his mouth Arthur realised, it wasn't him talking. The warmth running down his arm had moved, spreading across him, over his shoulders and torso, and Merlin still clung to him. Arthur gasped, feeling another rush, and realised, it was Merlin. He could feel everything coming from Merlin. Arthur looked up at him, Merlin's eyes were glowing in a similar way to Morgause's. Merlin's hand clenched even tighter, and Arthur felt the rising panic.

And it wasn't his. It was Merlin's. Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, deliberately blinking slowly, carefully letting his mind open. He wasn't even sure how he managed to do it, but he could feel it. He could feel Merlin close to him, not just his hand but his mind, clinging tightly, panic rippling through him. He didn't want Arthur to go, the one person that Merlin trusted, and felt safe with.

Arthur had taken away the shadow haunting his dreams, and his memories. Cenred lay dead. But that was only one layer of the nightmare. Morgause lingered underneath, a secondary shadow, using Cenred, and Cenred wanted to be used, because in turn, he could use others. He had tried to be so brave and fight in his own way, but Merlin wasn't that good at it. Morgause had seen him, so shy and nervous but willing to please.

Merlin tried to stay strong, holding out against the man and woman that had hurt so many. He had lost himself. Arthur felt the surge again, Merlin desperately holding on, wanting him to be there. It had been felt from the moment Arthur had appeared there, handling him so gently, but also believing that Merlin was in there. All of them at the hospital saw that, because Arthur always would.

The reaction was almost involuntary. Arthur clenched back, holding onto Merlin just as tightly, because if nothing else, he needed to stand up. Morgause now stood almost nose to nose with Merlin. Arthur forgotten as the woman sought to secure them both, to do what she had done to Cenred.

Oh, he had wanted to hurt those boys, Arthur didn't doubt that, but he had remained locked under Morgause's whims and desires. Arthur felt something cold slam against his mind, it made him shiver, his spine tingling with the sensation, erasing the warmth Merlin needed.

The cold, however, made Arthur think. He would not stand there, kneel there in all technicality, and let someone hurt his patient. Merlin was that, he needed protecting.

"You think you can stop me, little boy," Morgause hissed at Merlin.

Arthur felt a flare of heat, and Morgause's eyes rolled in her head. He had no idea what was going on, or what was happening. And he didn't care, his patient was in danger, Arthur himself was in danger, and he needed to do something about it. The hand in Merlin's stayed where it was, the other rummaged for the piece of metal neatly tucked in his waistband. Arthur stood up, moving slowly just to make sure he could manage it. A moment later Morgause staggered backwards.

It was dramatic, almost silly really, he thought, as he did it. Morgause turned to look at him and Arthur glared at her.

"Go to hell you bitch."

He informed her calmly, before slamming the piece of metal into her neck.


	13. Chapter 13

In accordance with the occasion, the spray of blood from Morgause was impressive. It spurted up onto the chandelier as he slammed into her artery. She screamed and fell backwards, Arthur stumbled with her, dropping forward onto his knees. He felt something wet splash against his shoulder and arm. He struggled to stay upright, pulling his hand from Merlin's in an attempt to prevent Merlin from toppling. As Arthur crashed down, his right side seemed to hit something solid, and he gasped as he landed heavily on his knees. There was a riot of pain, where all he could do was sob and gasp but he leant against something solid and caught his breath.

Although it took a few seconds Arthur realised he was leaning on Merlin, putting most of his weight onto his legs. He pulled back a little, not wanted to put too much weight on someone so slight. But he had to stay down to get his breath back, blinking to steady his vision. He decided after the sixth attempt that blinking really wasn't working so instead he stopped trying that and gave up. He could work out the vague shapes around him. Morgause lying still and silent on the floor, and Merlin, Arthur looked up at Merlin. His hand moved, his fingers crawling up the chain to meet Merlin's hand. Arthur grappled for him, looking up, trying to find the connection that had been so strong moments before. There was a flicker, but it lacked the power. Merlin didn't react, his fingers loose and limp as Arthur threaded his own through them.

"Merlin?"

Arthur steeled himself and got to his feet, using Merlin a little to steady himself but mostly working under his own steam. He looked at Merlin. The glow in his eyes had faded, and Arthur tightened his grip on Merlin's hand. He had seemed so strong a minute ago. Arthur turned and looked down at Morgause. She was dead, her body still, eyes fixed, her blood gathering on the floor, and also splattered around the room. His stomach clenched in horror.

"Merlin, please, Merlin," Arthur slurred the words again, looking back up at the still and silent man. There was a splash of Morgause's blood on Merlin's face and more had landed on his clothing. But it was the smear across his cheek that Arthur flinched at. He reached up, pulling the sleeve of his shirt down to carefully wipe away the mark. Arthur tilted his hand so Merlin wouldn't be scratched by his cufflink, rubbing his wrist gently against Merlin's face to clear the mark.

"We need to find a bathroom or something, to clean you up," Arthur said dopily, he looked around and looked at the door he had been aiming for before Morgause had intercepted them. By reflex he blinked again, causing his vision to blur worse than it had been. He stood there dumbly, his mind as lethargic as his body. Merlin didn't react as Arthur gently dabbed at the blood on his cheek, trying to clear it off. Arthur watched him in concern, the glowing light in his eyes had completely gone, and Merlin looked back to normal. Or the normal that Arthur knew.

He felt a stirring of concern in the pit of his stomach. Arthur wasn't quite sure what he had expected. He had felt Merlin's presence, strongly, so strong that Merlin's words had come out of Arthur's mouth. But now the link was gone. Arthur looked down at Morgause again. She had been part of the circuit, so had Cenred. There could have been a vain hope that perhaps with that Merlin might suddenly wake up, the two people clearly responsible for his predicament gone. But what if Arthur's reaction had done something to Merlin, something that permanently damaged him as a result of severing him from Morgause. They had to have been connected in some way, for Merlin to have seen what he did.

Arthur swallowed heavily, he couldn't start to consider the implications of his actions, not yet anyway. What he had to do was get Merlin to safety. The immediate threats were gone, but Merlin was shivering, either with cold or shock. He needed care. Arthur had to get him back to the hospital, and he probably required medical attention himself. He didn't know what the long term affects of what he had been given might be.

Moving slowly he tested the chain that still linked them. It was secure enough, so he took Merlin's hand again, feeling a small jolt of warmth, but nothing close to the intensity of a few minutes ago.

"Let's go Merlin."

Arthur headed to the door that he had seen earlier, Merlin shuffling behind him, obediently following. When he reached the door it took Arthur several attempts to grasp the handle, his body feeling weak, and still uncoordinated. The adrenaline from the fight had started to wear away and all Arthur wanted to do was sit down and rest. But Merlin remained the most important thing, before he could do anything else, Arthur had to get help. He also had to consider what might happen if he stopped, at least at the moment he fought against the effects of the drug, if he stopped it could end up in disaster. As far as Arthur could tell it had to be the same thing that Merlin had been given, although he had probably been given far more, over a longer course of time.

He rattled the handle but the door refused to give. Arthur stared at it, rattling the handle again.

"Must be locked," Arthur informed himself, or Merlin. He paused and looked around. Morgause could possibly be carrying a key, or maybe Cenred had one. Arthur didn't really want to bother looking, rummaging through the clothes of either corpse. He shuddered as that word drifted into his mind. He had caused the damage. Without even really thinking about it he rattled the door again. As he jerked the handle for the third time he heard a curious loud click, echoing around the open space. It made him jump, his sweat-damp hand slipping on the handle, pulling it down again and the door swung inwards by a few inches.

"Oh," he murmured, not entirely sure how it happened. Tensing slightly he opened the door, feeling a light, cool breeze which indicated he had been right in his assessment. He had found an exterior door. Arthur pushed it open and looked out, scanning the area warily. He didn't know where they were, or what might be outside. If it seemed safer to stay in the building then that would be exactly what Arthur would do. He didn't want to wait, he presumed that no one knew where they were, Morgause had been hiding for what Arthur guessed could have been years.

Quite tentatively Arthur took a few steps forward and peered out into the darkness. As he moved beyond the door he flinched as a harsh light flashed on, the sensor picking up his movement. Arthur lifted a hand to his face, and moved so he stood in front of Merlin, hoping to protect him from the brightness. After a few seconds of squinting, and keeping his free hand cupped around his eyes to shield them he carefully assessed the scene.

It didn't look entirely familiar, the building ran down to his right, and behind him a shorter section lay at a right angle. From that a small annexe had been built, so the building looped around what appeared to be a car park. The area was littered with building materials, piles of flagstones, and bricks. Several plastic window frames lay propped against the side of the building, the glass panels thickly wrapped in plastic were piled beyond that.

Having stayed still for a while the light flickered off again but as Arthur took another step, pulling Merlin along, it flashed on again. He shuffled forward, drawing Merlin close to him, keeping a close eye on the ground. Very slowly Arthur weaved a path through the clutter, the bright light made his head hurt but as they crossed the area it flickered off again. Arthur paused again, blinded in the sudden darkness. It took his eyes a few moments to adjust. Looking up he realised a nearly full moon hung in the sky, the darkness twinkling with stars. Arthur looked around again. He could make out shapes, and landscape, and the building they had just left.

"If there's a building, then there must be a way to get to it. Looks posh enough to be a hotel, so it must be easy to find. It can't be that far in the middle of nowhere surely. I suppose if we wait long enough then whoever is working here will show up."

That debated option ended as Arthur realised it was Friday. Which meant that it was unlikely anyone would be there until Monday. Arthur shivered, concluding that perhaps they wouldn't have made it through to that morning. Or they wouldn't still be in this building, but somewhere far more remote. The moon did a good job of illuminating the area, Arthur stepped forward, and Merlin automatically started to follow him. Arthur slowly led them out of the shelter of the car park and followed what appeared to be a long driveway. A little uneven but clear enough. Areas of it were dipped and pitted from the heavy trucks that had delivered the goods scattered around the yard. He stumbled on occasion but didn't fall, gaining some speed as they headed away.

"If we find a road Merlin, then we should be able to find someone. Maybe a house, there has to be farms and cottages out here."

There didn't look to be much. Gazing out at the landscape he couldn't see a single flicker of light that could indicate that someone lived nearby.

"Or a car," Arthur added.

So intent on staring around, he almost crashed into the gate that blocked the entrance way. He gave a murmur of surprise as he reached for it. The metal bar felt cold under his hand as he groped his way to the end to try and locate a latch, or even a gap they could slip through. As he did that Arthur looked up, staring out into the darkness. For a moment, he could see nothing more than a dim glow but somewhere in the distance it seemed like something moved. Arthur carried on fumbling, struggling with the latch one handed. Looking up again his elation faded, the light had gone.

Reluctantly he released Merlin's hand and used both on the latch until it eventually gave and swung open. Gathering up Merlin's hand again Arthur pulled him around the gate and slipping slightly on a ramp of wet soil Arthur felt the solid reassurance of tarmac under his trainers.

"We've found the road Merlin."

As he spoke Arthur felt his words break up. His teeth started to chatter, the night air starting to affect them. Reaching out to check him, Arthur felt Merlin shivering, quivering like a newborn foal. He didn't even have a coat that he could have given Merlin, who had been taken from the hospital with just a long-sleeved tee shirt, shielding him from the elements. Arthur had taken his jacket off before he had got into the car, as had always been his habit. The night air started to chill them. Autumn had been slowly moving into winter over the last week or so. Now shocked and vulnerable, the cold would be just another thing to attack them.

Arthur debated the options. He could retreat back to the building, maybe find a phone, maybe just wait it out. There had to be food, and perhaps heating. But if they couldn't find anything helpful, then he couldn't guarantee that they would be located. On the other hand, he could set off walking. The movement would help warm them a little, and they had to run into a building, or a car, and find someone that could help them.

For a moment Arthur dithered. He normally felt so capable of making decisions, calmly assessing the situation and working out the course of action needed. Now all he could seem to do was stand out in the lonely road, unable to choose the best option. Neither of them really sounded good to him. As he took a sharp breath, trying to think of something Merlin must have shifted, as he slipped forward, down the small incline, crashing into Arthur. Arthur staggered forward into the road and turned reaching out to meet Merlin as he fell, letting Merlin crash into his chest. Arthur wrapped an arm around Merlin's waist to make sure he stayed steady.

"All right Merlin."

He felt the subtle shift of weight as Merlin leant against him, almost forcing Arthur backwards, further into the road. That somehow helped Arthur make up his mind. Once he felt certain that Merlin was not about to fall he turned his head looking one way and then the other. On the left the road dipped down, and it was the direction from which the flash of light had come from. Although it hadn't made it's way any further down maybe it meant that someone had pulled in somewhere. A house or something. Arthur didn't care if he even interrupted a clandestine adulterous meeting. He needed to find people, whatever they were doing.

"Come on then Merlin," Arthur said taking Merlin's hand again, and slowly, shivering as they walked, they made their way slowly down the road.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Since Arthur had lost his watch he had no idea what time it was. Looking up at the moon, and stars, he presumed it was early in the morning, which would also explain the lack of movement on the road. No one would really be travelling at this time of night. Their journey was quiet and lonely, and cold. Arthur couldn't shift that thought as they trudged along, Merlin shuffling along behind him, to the point that Arthur was drove almost to irritation by Merlin. Arthur wanted to shake him, to demand that he wake up, or at least come back to him, to be as he was when that surge of heat had seemed to flow through him into Arthur.

He contained his emotions. Arthur didn't want to upset, or frighten, Merlin, and none of it had been his fault. Arthur's feelings were because he felt worried, and frightened. He didn't like it. He started to realise just how sheltered his life had been. Over the years he had never really considered his father's way with him, but Arthur always had to account for his whereabouts, his behaviour, and all aspects of his life. He had just taken it as normal, Uther was his father, and he would want to know what his son was doing. Now Arthur considered the fact it was more than that.

Uther knew what horrors lay out there in the world. Arthur knew it. He had walked through enough incident rooms, treated enough patients. But it had never really touched his own life. He wondered if that made him more than a little patronising to people, as he talked through their problems, and helped them. Even if he had never experienced what they had been through, he always seemed to understand. What was that word Morgause had used, he pondered. Empathic. He understood things. If that was the case, he couldn't understand why he now couldn't seem to reach Merlin. That was the worst thought in Arthur's mind, what if his actions, in killing Morgause at that moment had caused something to happen to Merlin. Arthur couldn't live with himself if he had done that.

They trudged down the road and Arthur slowly came to a halt as they crested a hill. The darkness stretched out in front of them, and behind them looked much the same. Arthur gave a whimper, whatever light he had seen had clearly been some figment of his imagination. He had not passed a house, no cars had come along. They were totally alone, and too far committed to their course to turn back. Arthur tightened his hand on Merlin's. The wind whipped up, whistling as it rushed past them. Arthur staggered, his knees almost giving out again. His right knee felt hot, while the rest of him felt cold. Looking around Arthur walked to the side of the road. Part of the stone wall had collapsed, a huge tree looming up close to it.

"Merlin, I need to sit down for a minute."

As always Merlin simply followed him, and stayed compliant as Arthur helped him sit down, tucked against the wall, in the lee of the tree. It protected them from the worst of the winds as Arthur sat next to Merlin, unwinding the chain from Merlin's wrist so he could, instead, wrap his arms around Merlin's thin, still shivering, body, pressing himself close to try and give Merlin some of his body heat.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. I don't know what to do now," Arthur said, hearing the despair in his voice. Arthur bit down on his lip, increasing his grip on Merlin, wanting to take some reassurance while giving it to Merlin. He felt Merlin exhale heavily, his body relaxing, leaning against Arthur, as if he understood what Arthur wanted.

"It will be all right Merlin, someone has to come along, we'll be found."

The only problem was, he didn't know when.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur wasn't sure if he had dozed off. His head jerked up for some reason. More than likely, he had been awake, just resting his mind, closing his eyes and letting the darkness envelope him. After they had been snuggled together for a while the shared body heat seemed to do them some good, although the wind still buffeted against Arthur, Merlin's shivering had calmed. It had not gone completely but it felt less dramatic than previously.

Arthur looked around, sensing something, a vibration in the air, which he eventually realised was the sound of a car. A car coming towards them. Arthur looked around, and then realised he couldn't see either stretch of road clearly, which meant that whoever was about to drive past would not see them either. He couldn't risk that, he had the chance to get Merlin to safety.

"It's a car Merlin!"

He struggled to disengage himself from Merlin and Arthur stood up, using the wall to lever himself up. To his right, just cresting the hill appeared a set of headlights, the little car chugging towards them. Arthur slithered on the grass as he stepped off the verge and got his feet onto the road. Just as he steadied himself the small car rumbled up the hill and Arthur waved his arms, stepping forward to stop them. He couldn't catch a clear glimpse of who was in the car, as the engine roared and it sped past him. Arthur's waving paused, and he blinked in shock as he watched the taillights head away from him. Slowly his arms dropped, flopping to his sides in shock.

"But…" he mumbled, his mind daring his eyes to defy what they were seeing. They had driven straight past him. Arthur staggered as he turned, stepping back towards the little alcove where he had hidden Merlin. His foot slipped from under him in shock as he caught the edge of the wet grass, and he stumbled as he realised Merlin had stood up to follow him. Arthur crashed inelegantly to the ground, landing at Merlin's feet.

Arthur felt an overwhelming sensation of defeat to just lie there, and do nothing. But he couldn't, as he stared at Merlin's trainer clad feet. He had to get up and help. Maybe they should walk a little more, it had to get light soon, then there might be a little more hope. Arthur sighed, they needed help, they just needed someone to help.

In the car, the passenger turned to look at the fading scene.

"Drug addicts probably," her husband grumbled leaning forward over the steering wheel.

"And what in heaven would drug addicts be doing out here. There's nothing here except that half built hotel, and they are not exactly rushing with that."

"That's what it will turn out to be, some hostel place for alcoholics and drug users, what was that thing that Alicia was prattling on about tonight, with farming and animals."

"Care farming," she told her husband absently. Then she frowned and glared at him. "Go back!"

"What? I'm not helping some drug addict!"

She glanced back again, seeing the other man stood there, while his companion fought to get onto his feet, the one who had tried to flag them down, a look of shock on his face as instead, the car had speeded up to get away from him. She scowled and turned back to her husband.

"Tristan, you will stop this car and go back! Now!"

Arthur struggled up, reaching up to take Merlin's hand to steady himself. He avoided putting too much weight on Merlin, but Arthur had noticed that Merlin seemed to refuse to let himself fall, as if he knew that Arthur needed him to stay up. Arthur knelt up, moving one leg to get his foot back firmly on the ground, and he paused as he heard the sound of the car become louder. The white lights at the back were blurred in his vision, but he knew well enough that meant they were reversing. Bracing his leg Arthur got to his feet, staggering as his head swam again and he leant against Merlin. Arthur felt the pressure as Merlin leant into him.

The car stopped a short distance away and the passenger carefully got out.

"Are you all right?"

Arthur giggled, it seemed a rather daft question. The two of them stood in the middle of nowhere, Arthur still struggling with the effects of whatever he had been given and Merlin remained outwardly unresponsive to everything. How could they possibly be all right? The old lady looked at him in concern, her husband stood by the driver's door.

"Just stay there, Isolde," he ordered her. "I'm calling the police."

The old man used the police as a threat but it was music to Arthur's ears. Tristan had already dialled the emergency number and appeared to be rattling off their location.

"Yes!" Arthur said brightly. "You need to tell them to inform Detective Chief Superintendent Pendragon."

The old man paused talking, staring at Arthur in surprise, but he reiterated the information. Arthur swayed on his feet and Isolde watched him in concern.

"I think you should sit down."

Arthur agreed, backing up so he could drop down onto the grass verge behind him.

"In the car!" she snapped. "You'll get a chill sitting on the grass!"

That helped Arthur focus.

"Merlin's cold, we need to warm him up, can you run the heaters for him?" Arthur tugged Merlin's hand. "Come on, Merlin."

Merlin shuffled along as Arthur coaxed him. The old man carried on talking to the emergency services, until he looked up again.

"And you would be?"

"Arthur," Arthur said, then he blinked, realising that might not be entirely helpful. "Pendragon, and Merlin Emrys. Merlin, come on, into the car."

He intended to get Merlin into the passenger seat, and then worry about himself. However Isolde was having none of it. She opened the back door of the little car.

"You get in as well."

"Merlin needs help. He's my patient. I'm his psych…" Arthur's tongue decided to be unhelpful at that point and he struggled to say the word, stumbling over it as if his tongue was far too big for his mouth. "I'm his doctor," he added in the end. By that point Isolde had separated them, so Arthur stood by the back door. The little old lady straightened up, although she couldn't have topped five feet tall it still seemed to make an impression as she glared up at Arthur and ordered.

"Get into the car, now young man, before you fall over!"

It was a tone of voice that cowed her husband, her children and grandchildren. Arthur blinked, swayed and obeyed. He sat down while Isolde made sure he didn't bang his head, then she went round to get Merlin into the car. For a moment Merlin resisted until Arthur leant forward against the front seat, holding out his hand.

"Come on Merlin, sit in the car, you need to be warm."

Merlin obeyed, either just following Arthur's voice, or listening to the words. Isolde helped Merlin towards the seat and Arthur leant forward, resting against the back of the seat, reaching around to coax Merlin inside. He shuffled to the centre of the backseat, steadying Merlin from inside while Isolde worked outside. Between them they got Merlin inside and the old lady shut the door. Arthur sagged sideways, he felt exhausted but as least they had some help. Uther knew where they were.

"It's all right Merlin, we'll be safe now," Arthur said. He sat forwards against Merlin's seat, reaching out, groping for Merlin's hand, taking his wrist lightly and rubbing gently. Arthur felt his eyes drooping and he forced himself to open them again. The blurring appeared to be worse, but he guessed he could manage with that, he could relax now, and let his body calm down.

"We'll drain the battery if we run the heaters for too long," Tristan complained.

"Hush, you grumpy sod," Isolde ordered irritably from the boot end of the car. She reappeared on the driver's side holding a tartan rug in her arms.

"I'll pay for a new one," Arthur offered.

"Don't you worry about it," she announced, popping her head in through the open driver's door. "The police are on their way. What in heaven are you doing out here anyway?"

"It's a long story," Arthur murmured.

"Have you taken drugs?" Tristan demanded, glaring in at Arthur.

"Not willingly," Arthur said.

"Not now, dear," Isolde ordered him. "Get in and shut the door, we need to keep these boys warm until the police get here."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwaine sensed Uther tense every time he had to slow down to take a corner. Dawn had not entirely broken, and the country road had no proper lighting. Gwaine put his foot down as often as he could but in the end, when a bend came, he had to remove his foot from the pedal. He roared up over the crest of a hill and on either side of them the landscape of the moor spread out darkly, but a way in front, on the road they saw the flash of blue lights.

"There!" Uther said.

His subordinate saw fit to not point out that he could actually see the lights in the distance. They would still take a few more minutes to get their and Gwaine did not want to listen to Uther rant. In the back Leon stayed quiet, trying not to look where they were going and have to deal with Gwaine's erratic driving.

Behind them another car tried to keep up, but Percival dropped back occasionally, not as confident as Gwaine appeared to be on the roads. With him were Morgana and Lancelot, just in case they needed a knowledgeable nurse. From what the operator had told them, when the call had been taken, Arthur appeared to be under the affect of some sort of drug. Lancelot knew Merlin's medical history and could deal with him. By the sound of it, Merlin was uninjured. They had been receiving updates from the officers and paramedics on scene. The local police had also cordoned off the half-built hotel, but had not yet entered.

On the road, tucked as tight to the verge as they could manage, two ambulances had parked and two police cars flanked them. For a moment Uther couldn't see Arthur until he saw a flash of blond hair at the rear door of one of the ambulances, and a dark thatch of hair next to it.

Gwaine roared up the last stretch of road and skidded the car to a halt, the bumper nudging against the grass verge as the tyres slithered on the lightly damp road. Before he had even fully stopped Uther had flung open the door and got out of the car to get to Arthur. It seemed odd, Gwaine thought, that Uther appeared constantly critical of Arthur, to a point you could assume that he was disappointed in his son. And then moments like this came along, albeit it was an over dramatic one, when Uther's concern reared it's head.

Percival brought his vehicle to something of a more elegant halt by Gwaine. Morgana smirked as Gwaine put his foot into a puddle.

"Shit!"

"No, mud," she announced, before taking Uther's wave as a hint, and she gave her own to Leon to order him to follow her, and they went over to the elderly couple lingering close by who had been talking to one of the uniformed officers. Uther went straight to Arthur, who now perched on the steps of the ambulance, swaying drunkenly, although the nearby paramedic appeared to have no intention of letting him fall. Merlin sat on Arthur's left.

"Arthur," Uther said, and on reaching him leant down to wrap his arms around his son. Arthur inhaled in surprise, taking in the scent of Uther's aftershave, a smell which Arthur had known all his life. He closed his eyes and sagged slightly as he rested against his father's chest, feeling Uther's fingers run through his hair. It caused Uther to tense and he pulled back, holding Arthur steady.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine, I think," Arthur said. Uther looked up at the paramedic.

"We need to take him to the hospital and run a test on what he might have been given, but initially it doesn't seem to be having a serious affect on him, he's just groggy. It means I can't give him anything else, but he doesn't seem to be in pain."

Uther frowned and the paramedic carefully shifted the blanket to show where he had cut Arthur's trousers to examine his knee. His kneecap had swollen and had turned a mottled black and blue.

"It feels hot," Arthur said. Uther hissed in a sharp breath.

"How did he do that?" Uther addressed the paramedic, but Arthur answered.

"I fell, or Cenred kicked me, might have been both actually."

"Scene Of Crime are at the… well… scene," Gwaine announced as he talked on his phone. Uther looked up.

"You and Percival go and see what is happening. Morgana too. Leon can gather any information we need here."

They all nodded and went piling into Gwaine's car after Percival had given Leon the keys to his car. Lancelot, slightly forgotten by the rest of them, crouched down by Merlin's side.

"He's fine," Arthur said. "Just a bit cold. How did they get him out?"

"He walked," Lancelot said. "Percival saw him out of the window. He went of his own accord, looking for you, we think. Merlin's disappearance happened after yours."

Arthur blinked, and looked at Merlin again. His hand held Merlin's, he had refused to be separated from him. As they had moved Arthur, he had taken Merlin's hand and they had both shuffled over to the ambulance. Merlin still had Isolde's blanket around him and one of the paramedics had added another to make sure Merlin stayed warm.

"We need to take them both in now," the paramedic told Uther. "You can travel with your son if you wish."

"I want to stay with Merlin," Arthur said stubbornly.

Lancelot shifted, so he was in front of Merlin, rather than at his side, so he could look up at Arthur.

"I'll stay with him. Arthur I think you need to look after yourself for a moment. Merlin will be all right with me." Lancelot glanced up at Uther. "Could we taken Merlin straight back to the annexe? I don't think we need stress him out by admitting him into the main hospital. Especially since the press might have wind of this."

Uther nodded.

"Perhaps it's safer for both of them there. Let me make a phone call."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwaine, Morgana and Percival carefully made their way through the half built building. The lighting didn't appear to be up to much, but the Scene of Crime had brought enough themselves. The trio passed Morgause's body, which one of the team concentrated on photographing her body, and found one pathologist examining Cenred.

"Everything appears to have started from along here. There are several pairs of footprints to and from the end room. Two sets left there, examining several of the rooms, and going into this one."

"From what I can tell," another of them said, his head popping out of said room. "They hid in here, and someone came out."

"Which I think was when the fight happened," the pathologist said. "There is definite sign of a scuffle, our victim here…" she pointed at Cenred.

"Interesting to hear him called that," Gwaine murmured. Morgana glowered and hushed him, peering over to see what was of interest.

"Has bruising to indicate he was attacked, but by the look of it, he punched back. There is marking to indicate that. He was struck several times by a blunt object, which has been taken from the scene, and then stabbed. I think I'd be inclined to safely guess that the weapon in the neck of our second victim downstairs is the one that killed him. Both weapons, I think, were retrieved after Cenred died."

"What makes you say that?" Morgana asked. The pathologist frowned but pointed to Cenred's hand.

"By the amount of dried blood here, I would suggest that he pulled the weapon out himself. But it has been taken. There is a partial print here, but I can again guess, it will match one of the two people found on the road."

"Which means Arthur," Gwaine said. Morgana gave him a sharp look.

"You can't assume that."

"Are you seriously going to consider Merlin as an assailant? He doesn't move."

"He did walk out of the hospital on his own."

"I think there is a difference between ambling about and killing someone," Gwaine said. "And as nice as Arthur is, if he is anything like Uther, he wouldn't have hesitated. He had Merlin to protect." Gwaine looked down at Cenred, his face flickering with distaste. "I don't think I'd have thought twice either."

"I would think in this case, we have definite cause for self-defence."

"What about downstairs?" Morgana asked.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Arthur, we're following the ambulance with Merlin. They'll stay together."

Merlin seemed to be his son's only concern. And if Uther ordered, people generally obeyed. Both emergency vehicles were staying together, blue lights flashing but sirens quiet. It wouldn't be that busy on the roads at such an early point in the morning.

"Arthur, are you all right?" Uther demanded.

"I'm fine, I feel a bit sick now."

Pain rather than warmth now came from his knee. Whatever drug he had been given appeared to be wearing off.

"My shoulder hurts too, and I'm sure I banged my head."

"Arthur?" Uther's voice stayed gentle. "Arthur?"

Arthur blearily raised his head from the contemplation of his knee, and what might have actually happened to it.

"I can't obviously question you," Uther pointed out.

"Anything he says now can be put down to the affect of the drug," the paramedic added. "Technically you shouldn't talk to him at all."

Uther shrugged, concentrating on Arthur. Arthur blinked again, causing yet more blurring.

"That's getting tedious."

"What is?" Uther asked in concern.

"My vision's blurry."

Uther looked up at the paramedic.

"It could be the drug or the head wound," he said. "Since he's quite coherent I think more the drug than the bang on the head, the wound isn't too serious from what I can see."

"I think it was blurry before I banged my head," Arthur mused.

"Arthur, what happened? How on earth did that woman get you?"

"I've no idea. I saw her, she looked to be in trouble, she looked ill, so I got out of the car, and then…" Arthur paused, frowning as he tried to remember it. "It was as if she ran into me, and I felt myself falling and just couldn't stop it, I tried to fight her, but I don't even remember her coming anywhere near me. I could see her stood about six foot away from me. That was it, then I woke up in the building with Merlin nearby."

"We think…" Uther paused, and glanced up at the paramedic, who pretended to be very absorbed in something else. Uther glanced back at Arthur, leaning closer to him and lowering his tone. "We think Merlin sensed it, that she had taken you, then we received the report that Cenred had escaped."

"He said he just walked out, how is that possible?" Arthur asked.

"He obviously has something similar to Merlin, a talent…"

"Empathic," Arthur said.

"Sorry, what?" Uther asked with a frown.

"That's what Morgause said about him, that he was empathic, that he siphoned off the emotions from the boys. Somehow Cenred linked with her."

"Vivian found her, a picture showing that she was seriously ill. We've left her searching for any record of her. The building is owned by a company hidden within a company. It links to Cenred, but we need to find a reference to her. Vivian saw her at a corporate event a few months back, looking like she was dying."

"Somehow the energy was sustaining her," Arthur said. "When I killed Cenred, it seemed to affect her. In the foyer of the building, she looked like I had stabbed her, not him."

Uther tensed, hearing Arthur ramble, talking about his crime as if it was commonplace. Uther assumed Arthur was nothing more than too stunned to comprehend his actions. There had been too much going on in the moment for him to realise what he had done. At least he hoped it was that.

"She said the same about me," Arthur added. "That I was empathic, that I could sense things. I always could with Merlin, and …"

Arthur frowned, eyes rolling in his head. Uther moved closer to him, putting an arm around him.

"What? Arthur, what?"

Arthur had been idly contemplating how often his father had clung onto him now, desperately trying to reassure him. It was Igraine who had done most of that when he was little. Uther worked odd hours. Arthur couldn't say he was never there, but it had been sporadic. Now Arthur shook his head and focused on what he was talking about.

"Merlin spoke. Well, not exactly. I spoke, but it was Merlin. I could feel him, right inside my head. And I said the words for him, to Morgause."

"And what did he say?" Uther asked warily.

"You're not taking Arthur away from me. I'm not sure, there was something between Morgause and Merlin, another connection. I wasn't quite part of it, but when she moved closer to Merlin I attacked her."

"How severely?" Uther asked.

"I stabbed her too, in the neck, she's… well, she's dead. There was just… as if I broke something between them." Arthur knew he was rambling, trying to get his point across. "I saw them, something was going on between them and I broke the connection."

Arthur paused for another minute or so, dredging up the courage to reveal the worst fear of the moment.

"I think it hurt Merlin," Arthur eventually said. "I think I broke him."


	14. Chapter 14

**As I am not entirely au fait with the legal system, I have fudged this a little and quite frankly I just wrote it off the top of my head, searched out what I could on the subject in a half hour slot and Arthur's fate was decided on that... but on the bright side, I got this chapter out... ;-)**

Arthur roused slowly, moving his limbs carefully. There came a dull ache from the general area of his knee, but it seemed like the rest of him felt fine. Studying it a little more he felt an odd weightlessness. He didn't remember anything beyond the conversation with his father. Arthur hadn't wanted to talk any more and Uther didn't press. He couldn't actually remember anything after the ambulance.

Opening his eyes carefully he blinked, his vision obligingly clearing, a definite improvement from the previous night. The sunlight obscured behind the thin curtains told him it was daytime, he just wasn't entirely sure when. Very slowly Arthur lifted his head and a dark shadow moved across the front of the curtains, identifiable by the untamed hair.

"Elena?"

"Arthur." She breathed his name with a sigh of relief, moving closer to the bed to take his hand and sit in the chair by the bedside. "Typical of you."

"What is?" Arthur asked his voice still slurring slightly. He blinked again, his vision stayed steady and he took a slow deep breath.

"I get distracted for a moment and that is the time you decide to wake up. Are you all right?"

Arthur considered that. "My knee feels weird but the rest of it is fine, I think. My eyesight is better."

Elena smiled, tightening her grip on his hand. "Good, you had us a little worried, they ran a few tests on you. And they took a few blood samples. You didn't like that very much."

"Didn't I? I don't remember. I was in the ambulance with dad and then… not a lot."

"They brought you back here, Gaius tried to check you over, and Uther brought in another doctor. I didn't think you were fully coherent, if nothing else I have never heard you swear before."

"Oh god! Was it bad?"

"Very; I never heard some of those combinations before. They ran very well."

Arthur groaned and then suddenly opened his eyes again, looking around. He recognised the room instantly. One of the resident rooms in the Camelot annexe. That also stood to reason because Elena had been watching over him.

"Where's Merlin?"

"He's back in his own room. He's fine, no change. His mum is with him and Gwen is taking her turn there. We're looking after him."

"I want to see him," Arthur announced, sitting up. He couldn't quite describe it but he could feel a strange nagging pain in the pit of his stomach. His instincts stirred and as he concentrated for a moment he tired to do something he had never consciously done before – consider what power he might have. As he let his eyes close, partly at least, he felt a shiver of nerves and concern. He thought that might be Elena, and then beyond that, Arthur felt a call.

It felt like a gentle tug, and instinct that made him want to turn his head, to look at the wall behind him. Beyond that wall lay Merlin's room. Arthur's belly clenched, deep inside and he felt it again, as Merlin tried to find him. The only sense of it Arthur had was that Merlin wanted him and couldn't get a sense of him, probably because he had been sleeping so deeply. He felt the odd tension in his torso ease as the connection strengthened, it also eased Arthur's anxiety. Merlin appeared to still be reachable.

"Careful Arthur!" Elena almost yelped as Arthur, driven by determined instinct almost got up. She managed to grab his shoulders in time to prevent him from standing up and putting weight on his damaged knee.

"Are you all right?" Percival asked suddenly appearing in the doorway holding two white enamel cups. "Oh, hello."

"Arthur you can't get up," Elena told him after a frantic glance in Percival's direction. The large man immediately came into the room, putting the mugs down. Arthur took a second or two to take in the firm wrappings on his knee before he carefully started to level himself up. Elena glanced in Percival's direction. He had already started to move to Arthur's side to keep him steady. He tentatively put his foot down, testing his injured knee.

"According to the doctor it's just severely bruised," Percival told him. "Although you are probably better to rest it than go wandering about."

"I am not wandering about, I am going next door to see Merlin."

Percival assessed him for a moment and then huffed, moving to Arthur's side and putting an arm around his waist. Arthur glanced at Percival in mild shock and then after Percival steadily returned the gaze Arthur wrapped his arm around Percival's shoulders.

"Percy, you probably shouldn't encourage him," Elena scolded.

"Ellie, he's a Pendragon, and if he's anything like the one I know, then there is no point in trying to stop him."

"Too right," Arthur announced. "I want to find Merlin."

"Okay. He's fine you know," Percival added as he helped Arthur limp to the door.

"I know, I just want to see him," Arthur snarled through gritted teeth. He had only taken a few careful steps and his leg had started to throb. Arthur had no choice but to lean heavily on Percival who eased him through the door. It took a few moments of careful manoeuvring as the door width did not allow them to pass through at the same time. Instead Percival urged Arthur out first, while still keeping hold of him to stop him from falling. As soon as he got himself through the door he wrapped his arm back around Arthur and led Arthur along.

Percival did make him take it slowly, so he could balance himself properly, steadying his weight before he took each step. On reaching the doorway of Merlin's room both women sat in there looked up sharply.

"Arthur, you shouldn't be walking about," Gwen said. "Elena, you'd better get Gaius, and get someone to call DCS Pendragon."

"Where is dad?" Arthur asked his voice sounding mildly distant as his gaze lingered on the bed. Merlin lay there, in a pair of blue pyjamas, the bedding pushed down. He had obviously rolled over at some point while he slept, now he lay on his side, eyes open. Kilgharrah had been placed on the bedside cabinet, in his line of sight, presumably as a reassurance, and Hunith now sat close to the bed as well, where Merlin could see her.

Arthur shuffled further in, wincing as his knee continued to ache.

"Arthur, you really shouldn't be up," Hunith added.

"I needed to check on Merlin," Arthur said, eyes fixed on Merlin. "Is he all right? I don't think he got injured."

At least not physically, Arthur said to himself. Looking at him lying in the bed Arthur couldn't see anything wrong with him.

"No, he's not injured. They were concerned because he felt very cold, but they don't think it's too serious. We just need to keep him warm and make sure he eats."

Arthur eased himself clear of Percival's grip, lowering himself down to sit on the bed, just at the end. Reaching out he took hold of Merlin's ankle through the bed covers.

"It's all right Merlin. I'm here, I'm fine."

Hunith gave a light gasp and Gwen and Percival watched as Merlin's hand flexed. Only by a small amount but enough for them to see. That made Arthur's mind up, he hadn't actually gone very far, but it felt like far enough. He still felt a little tired and his knee had started to complain about the exertion. He shuffled up the bed, crawling a little but making sure that he didn't put any further pressure on his damaged knee. At the back of his mind he wondered how long it would be so sore but he felt better as he lay on the bed. The mattress was just big enough to accommodate them both, as they both lay on their sides. Arthur snuggled his chest against Merlin's back, spooning against him and reaching round the others watched as Merlin spread the fingers of his hand as Arthur reached over to search for it. Merlin let Arthur lace their fingers together and they both held onto each other. Hunith watched as Merlin's eyes, which had remained open since he had woken, slowly close, and her son seemed to relax into Arthur's embrace.

"It's all right Merlin," Arthur assured him confidently. "You'll be all right now."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur roused feeling the warmth of Merlin's body tucked against his. He lifted his head and looked around, sensing something different about the room. As he turned to glance at the end of the bed Arthur raised his eyebrows as he met his mother's gaze. She sat in a chair at the end of the bed, looking tired, and angry.

"Your father," she announced with an odd level of calm. "Is an asshole."

"Okay," Arthur said lying back down again, not really feeling in the mood to get into a conversation about his parents relationship. He heard the sound of her standing up and crossing the room, hearing the light swish of her skirt and the dip of the mattress as she sat down close to him, putting her hand into his hair.

"He didn't tell me anything."

Arthur frowned, not really wanting to say anything. There came the sound of another set of footsteps and Arthur felt his mother's hand tense. A moment later he knew why as he heard his father's voice.

"I heard you talking."

"He's awake. How could not tell me what had happened to him?"

Arthur opened his eyes again. Uther stared at Igraine. It occurred to Arthur that this had to be the first time he had seen his parents in the same room for years. His gaze moved from one to the other.

"I didn't want to worry you. Until I knew what was happening."

"He was back here for hours before you deigned to ring me. He's my son, I had a right to know the moment he went missing. And what if you hadn't found him, how long were you planning to keep it from me?"

"I wasn't keeping anything from you, I just…."

"Oh, stop it," Arthur murmured in a vague attempt to shut them up. He felt bad for his mother. Arthur himself hadn't even asked for her, the only thing he had wanted was Merlin. Anyone else had been obliterated from his thoughts. Neither of them heard him, and he sighed heavily.

"You were just what?" Igraine demanded. "Going about things in your own way, not bothering to discuss things with anyone else... and..."

"Enough!" Hunith's voice cut across Igraine's. "Don't either of you dare, if you want to argue then go outside to do it. Arthur is not up to hearing this, and you are certainly not upsetting my son by arguing in his room!"

Arthur lifted his head again. Uther moved out of Hunith's way looking absolutely gobsmacked. There were not many people that would talk to him in such a way. Hunith glared up at him.

"It's entirely your fault," she informed him tartly. "How could you not have told Igraine what was going on?"

"I didn't want to worry her."

"Morgana phoned me so you obviously thought it was fine to worry me!" Hunith said.

"I thought you just said nobody was meant to be arguing in here," Arthur said, his voice low and sleepy.

"Don't you start. Gwen's bringing up something for you to eat," Hunith said. "Both of you need to keep your strength up."

She had sat down, reaching to smooth down a lock of Merlin's hair. Arthur felt his mother do the same. She paused as she felt the slight tremor. Arthur felt the tears rise and he pressed his face into Merlin's back, trying to control himself as the tears rose. In the end he could to nothing to stop them. He felt Merlin's hand tense in his, clinging onto him harder, although that just seemed to make Arthur worse. His own shoulders hunched as he felt his mother take a firmer grip, intending to extract him from Merlin.

"Leave him," Uther ordered, his tone gentle, but the instruction firm. Arthur felt his mother hesitate. He couldn't see her but he had no doubt of the expression his mother had on her face. It was always a little wistful when they talked about Uther, now he knew it would be exactly the same as she looked at him.

After a short pause Arthur felt his mother's hands carefully retreat, one running through his hair before she said.

"I won't be long sweetheart."

Arthur sensed everybody leave the room, so he was alone with Merlin. For a few seconds he kept his face pressed into Merlin's back, taking sharp shuddering breaths as he tried to control himself. Merlin's hand remained warm and tight in his and Arthur slowly calmed, while he heard the low murmur of conversation outside.

"Is he all right?" Igraine asked as they stepped outside. Hunith had also taken the hint, leaving the two men alone in the room to hear what Uther had to say.

"Arthur is fine, although..." Uther hesitated and then sighed, looking at Hunith. "He thinks something happened, that somehow he broke a connection between Merlin and the woman Morgause."

"Connection?" Igraine asked. "What sort of connection?"

"Something like a psychic link? That's what Merlin had, to draw those pictures, seeing what she had done," Hunith said, immediately understanding Uther's meaning.

"I believe so. From what I could understand of Arthur's ramblings. He was in pain, and cold and disorientated," he added to Igraine. "He killed her while something appeared to be happening between them. In doing that he thinks he might have done something to Merlin."

"Merlin seems the same as..." Hunith turned to look at her son. He lay on the bed, eyes fixed, but he held onto Arthur's hand. Arthur appeared to have recovered from the sudden burst of emotion, but remained snuggled against Merlin. Something that Merlin seemed entirely content with. After the trauma of the night Merlin probably wanted comfort as much as Arthur did.

"His condition hasn't changed."

"But has Arthur somehow made it permanent? Or is he simply expecting more than is possible. I don't truly believe it can be as simple as Arthur killing the witch and Merlin wakes like Sleeping Beauty."

"Maybe Merlin will be all right, he might just need time," Hunith said, sounding hopeful but practical at the same time. "But what now, what will happen to them now?"

"We can keep them here, and as isolated as possible. Gwaine and Percival can stay here to keep the press at bay, but Arthur will still need to be questioned. He'll have to tell his version of the story."

"Who will you bring in for that?" Igraine asked. "It can't be you, your his father."

"I've called DCI Bayard, on of the senior officers in the neighbouring station."

"I know who he is Uther, he's not exactly your number one fan."

"Nor I his, but he's a good officer and he won't take any investigation on that value."

"Will Arthur be all right?" Hunith asked.

"Most of what occurred can be put down to self-defence, but the fact of the matter is he killed two people. It has to be investigated," Uther said, looking Hunith decided, less like a police officer and more like a worried parent.

That changed when Uther's phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket he glanced at the display before pressing the button to answer. He didn't step away from the two women, who both watched him with concern.

"Morgana?"

Uther didn't miss Igraine's eyes narrowing slightly.

"Okay, keep me informed, and let me know any scene of crime results as soon as."

"What's happened?"

"That lead Vivian found on the web search panned out. Another building being renovated by the same company. They found the other missing boy that Merlin identified in his drawings."

"They haven't found him alive have they?" Igraine said knowing exactly what the expression on her husband's face meant. Uther shook his head.

"Oh God," Hunith gasped.

"She killed him," Igraine said flatly, wondering how the hell any jury in the world would convict her son of any wrongdoing.

"Worse than that, she left him to slowly die on his own, drowning in a water tank."

For a moment none of them spoke, then Hunith broke the silence, her voice filled with an unusual amount of venom.

"She killed all those boys, she watched someone else torture them. I for one am glad that Arthur killed her."

With that said Hunith turned and went back into the room to sit with her son and the man that had saved him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur had been kept quite firmly out of sight, although there was no hiding his name from the papers. He was the son of a high ranking police officer, caught up in and the victim of one crime, and the perpetrator of another.

He now sat quietly in the interview room of a police station, having patiently refused a lawyer, and also refused to let Uther, or Igraine, sit in with him. Slowly he flexed his leg, the swelling in his knee had gone down but it still ached, especially after sitting in the room for two hours while Bayard and his DS, a man by the name of Alined, went over exactly what had happened.

At least, they thought it was exactly. Arthur had had a week to process the information and realised a few things, which slowly connected to other small incidents. Ones he had made nothing off, but he remembered his arm being pushed when he fought, his aim truer than expected as he struggled against the affects of the drugs, the sudden ease that the very handy piece of metal had come away. The snapping of the chains as he had tried to free himself and Merlin's mysteriously unlocked handcuffs.

The little things like that added to other things. The reporters that had broken into Merlin's room, and the odd swing of the photographer's camera when it had smashed against the bed, after they had damaged Kilgharrah and after they had taken photographs of Arthur. Merlin hadn't reacted to his own picture being taken, but had he not wanted Arthur to be revealed. Had the reaction occurred simply because Arthur voiced an objection.

Merlin had a metal power, and it was strong. Arthur had felt it so much Merlin had spoken through him. Could Arthur find it inconceivable that Merlin had something more? He had not asked Hunith, he did not want to put the thought into her head that perhaps Merlin had affected the deaths of the two people who had damaged him so badly. Arthur didn't want to put the thought into anyone's head, and certainly not a police officer's. No one could get around the fact that Merlin had drawn those two boys, without having ever known them, Uther had been forced to give Bayard all the evidence, but by mutual consent they had decided to keep that fact from the press. They had enough of a story to play with.

So, for Merlin's own good, Arthur decided to keep it to himself. It wasn't hard, it was only a subtle part to the story. He had inflicted the violence, something he didn't dispute.

"Are you all right?" Bayard paused to ask as Arthur flexed his leg.

"It aches but I'm fine."

"We can take a break."

"No, let's just finish this."

"So, in the lobby of the building, you confronted Morgause."

"I was trying to find a way out of the building. I needed to get Merlin out of there, but she was there and threatening him, although she didn't look very well. It was almost like she was possessed."

"The autopsy report revealed she was seriously ill. They found several cancerous tumours. To be honest the doctors were amazed that she had survived as long as she had."

Arthur clenched his jaw. Was that what the energy was for, he asked himself. Using that to survive, forcing her body on, using Merlin as a power source.

"She looked to be in pain," Arthur said.

"Quite frankly, I can't see how she managed to take you down in the car park, and she somehow spirited you away."

"I don't remember. I saw her in the car park, again she looked ill then, she seemed to run at me, something hit me and I woke up handcuffed to a radiator in that building."

Which was the exact same thing Arthur had said three times. Bayard seemed to accept what he was saying but did seem very inclined to want to go over it.

"Okay, so in the lobby, she threatened Merlin."

"Something seemed to be going on between them. I don't know if that was how Merlin saw the other boys."

"Yes," Alined said flicking through a series of papers to produce copies of the drawings. "Merlin drew these."

"I saw him draw both of them. Lancelot saw that one as well, he called me in on that night."

"The night Merlin animated," Alined asked.

"You could call it that."

"So you sensed something between them?" Bayard picked up the thread again.

Arthur nodded. "Yes, I was still struggling to co-ordinate because of the drug. I'd slipped over and she was threatening Merlin. I still had the bit of metal on me."

"Which you had gone back to pick up?" Bayard asked.

"Not exactly, I'd walked a circle around the building and came back to where Cenred was. I picked it up while I was there."

"Did you plan to use it?" Bayard said.

Arthur frowned, trying to recall exactly how he felt. Had he really intended it. Killing Cenred hadn't been difficult. It had been a fight, Arthur trying to protect himself and Merlin.

"Not deliberately, or at least, if I didn't need to use it, I wouldn't have. I just thought it would be stupid to leave it."

"But you left it there after you stabbed him, it was only when you came round to the corpse again that you took it."

Arthur swallowed heavily. "Cenred was still alive, I didn't want to go near him."

"Although, you had fatally injured him."

"That didn't seem to make him any less frightening."

"He had threatened to rape you?" Alined asked reading over his notes.

"And Merlin."

"And when you stabbed Morgause, she was threatening Merlin."

"Yes and when she came close to him, I stabbed her."

"You stabbed her in the neck, I thought you had fallen," Bayard said.

"I stood up," Arthur said.

"You were aiming at her neck?"

"No, I was just aiming at her, I don't think I cared what I hit," Arthur announced. "I just wanted her away from Merlin, away from me."

"So, after that, you found your way out and that's when the old couple found you, Tristan and Isolde."

"Yes." That part seemed fairly self-explanatory. Arthur didn't expand much on that as Bayard questioned him. And after another gruelling half hour as they went over the same facts again, and Arthur calmly gave them the same information Bayard sat back.

"I think that's probably enough."

'Thank God for that' Arthur thought to himself. All he wanted to do was go to visit Merlin.

"Interview terminated at three seventeen," Bayard announced turning off the tape recorder.

"Now what?" Arthur asked.

"I'd advise you to go home and sleep. You look like you haven't slept."

"I have, it just doesn't seem to help."

"It's not exactly been an easy week," Bayard said. He stood up and stepped around the table to help Arthur up onto his feet and Arthur gathered up the crutches he was using to get around.

"No."

"Is Merlin Emrys doing all right, in your professional opinion."

"I don't have a professional opinion at the moment. I suppose the hospital board make a decision when you do."

Igraine stood up as Alined opened the door. Before Bayard carefully delivered Arthur over he looked the young man up and down. Although it was true Bayard didn't particularly like Uther Pendragon he knew the man was a good police officer. The level of tolerance between them had enough respect that Uther could trust Bayard to not involve his personal feelings, except one. Going over the information that Arthur had given he only had one opinion.

"It'll probably never get said on record," Bayard said. "But I can voice what I know everyone is thinking. They were two damn vicious people, so bloody well done."

Arthur blinked, staring at Bayard in shock. The man had spoken as if he was casually thanking Arthur for doing nothing more than a simple service. The officer turned to Igraine smiling politely.

"Mrs Pendragon."

"Is everything all right," Igraine asked.

"Perfectly, I'll have Alined escort you to the back door. I presume that loudmouth Gwaine is waiting."

"Actually Uther is waiting," Igraine announced. Arthur's eyebrows went up. After over fifteen years of well constructed animosity his parents were being weirdly congenial. Arthur wasn't entirely sure which was preferable.

Bayard nodded, and nodded at Alined who walked with them as they silently made their way to the back door. Alined opened it up, checking the coast was clear. Uther stood by the car looking tense but he relaxed as he saw Arthur. Alined helped Arthur down the steps, pausing for a moment, keeping a firm grip of Arthur's arm.

"By the way," Alined said in a low tone. Arthur turned to listen to him. "What Bayard said, I second it."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Bayard looked at the woman on the far side of the office and shrugged as she glared at him with ill-concealed irritation.

"There is no way the CPS will even get close to a conviction if you try to prosecute, Annis. Even if you do, you won't get him jailed. The papers will have a field day, as far as they are concerned he's a hero," he said.

"He killed two people, he admitted as such in his interview. We have enough to convict him. And the papers have their own spin on things."

"All the parents of the victims had gone on record to thank him. And lets face it, Cenred essentially admitted it, I saw the transcripts of the interviews Arthur Pendragon had with Cenred in the prison. He practically got him to admit there were more than six victims."

"Eight," Alined corrected absently. Bayard glared at him. Alined looked back calmly.

"There were the two recent kidnappings as well, that takes Morgause's victim count to a definite eight," Alined stated.

"So eight, you now have eight victims, with the defence that Merlin Emrys and Arthur Pendragon would be the definite ninth and tenth. You have self-defence, you have a list of extraneous circumstances. I think it is lunacy to take him to trial. You do that we make him a martyr as well as a hero. And we will have to close the trial, some of the information cannot be revealed."

"It can't be believed," Annis snapped.

"We have more than just Arthur as a witness," Bayard said. "The police were involved in every step of this and I am not going to pull DCI Pendragon's investigation into question."

"You don't exactly care about him."

"No Annis, I don't, but after two hours in an interview room with him, I like his son, and he didn't waver in what he told me."

"He has to take a guilty plea, and we won't take it to trial. If he admits culpability for the crime."

"Which he has by his statement, are you really going to put murder on his record. You'll ruin the boy's career."

"He's thirty-one he's hardly a boy Bayard, and he knew what he was doing. He has to accept a manslaughter charge, if he does, we won't take it to court and there is no question of a prison sentance. As to his career, he'll have to work that one out himself. All things considered the hospital board are likely to decide against him even if we don't."

Bayard gritted his teeth and looked up at her.

"With everything going on the way it is, we at least have to make it clear what he did, even if we don't enforce any sentence."

"You have a point. I don't think he will even argue with you."

"Even if he can't practice on the NHS, he's got avenues open. He teaches and lectures at the colleges doesn't he?"

"Yes, but I doubt that will be something he wants to do for the time being. Can I call Uther and let him know the decision, while you work it officially?"

"Yes, he had no lawyer in the interview did he? Does he have one?"

"Uther can get one for the formalities, I think he'll want to talk to Arthur himself. Poor kid."

Annis snorted. "He's a grown up like the rest of us. Take it or leave it."


	15. Chapter 15

For the last week or so Arthur had stayed with his mother. He couldn't really walk about, he certainly couldn't drive and she had him captive. Much to her delight, he thought. She made none of the usual hints about finding a nice girl, settling down, buying a grown up car, instead she seemed to be enjoying his dependence; something that appeared to come with Uther Pendragon as an optional extra.

"They are very weird, it's official," Arthur told Merlin as they sat in Merlin's room in the hospital. Arthur sat in the window seat, sketching the landscape in the hope it might inspire Merlin to draw. He hadn't even hinted at such at thing since they had been rescued. It seemed to be that in Merlin's mind he had done what he needed to do, and he was not required for anything else.

"It's like I am back in school again. I'm amazed my mother hasn't imposed a curfew. Not that I have actually been anywhere. It's made me realise that my social life it lacking a bit. I mean, I do have friends, but I don't really go out very often. Do you want to draw something, or are you not bothered now. I wish you would, I'd like to know that I didn't break you. Have I?"

Merlin's hands didn't respond to the pressure of the notepad and pencil as Arthur tried to press them into Merlin's hands. In the end Arthur gave up, Merlin hadn't shown any significant change in his behaviour. He was the same as the rest of them knew him, but he had only ever drawn anything for Arthur. And even Arthur now couldn't seem to persuade him.

"Arthur, Gaius is expecting you," Elena said, bouncing into the room. The bouncing seemed to cease as she looked at what Arthur was trying to do. "No joy?"

"He doesn't seem to want to. Are you going to stay with him?"

"Course," Elena said.

Arthur put the pad and pencil down slowly getting up. He didn't need the crutches but his knee still felt a little sore. Elena tensed, looking ready to catch him if he fell.

"I'm fine," Arthur told him, limping out of the room. Elena still stayed ready, just in case. Arthur paused in the doorway, turning back to Merlin.

"I won't be long Merlin."

He hobbled slowly down the corridor and out through the patient wing towards the back rooms where his boss' office was. At least he might be able to find out what was going on, and whether or not he would ever be reinstated. So far it was just a temporary move, while the hospital board waited for the fuss to die down. Nor did they want one of their psychiatrists suffering from emotional trauma while he worked, or so they said.

He rapped his knuckles against Gaius' open door. He looked up at peered at Arthur over the top of his glasses, smiling at him. Arthur limped in.

"How is the knee?"

"The swelling is down and it hurts less," Arthur said as he lowered himself into the chair opposite his boss. He took a moment to get comfortable, easing his leg into a relaxed and comfortable position. As he settled Lancelot wandered through the door with a tray holding a coffee pot and two cups. He placed it on the desk.

"Hi Arthur, how are you?"

"Okay," Arthur said. "Fairly bored though."

"Well, let's hope you get back soon," Lancelot said, taking the hint as Gaius gave him a steady glare. He dropped a hand onto Arthur's shoulder and went out of the room, closing the door behind him. Arthur turned, it hadn't even occurred to him, Gaius never shut the door. Turning back Arthur said.

"That seems ominous."

"It's not," Gaius said concentrating on pouring out coffee.

"I hope you're not about to fire me," Arthur said, sounding as if he really meant that. As he said it he realised he really did mean it. He always knew he had liked his job, and had liked working in the hospital, as he felt now, teetering on the brink of perhaps having it taken away from him.

"No, I am not. I refuse to do that. You are good at what you do, what the board are worried about is rushing you back into work. These were some of the conditions when you were cautioned. Arthur you have to abide by them."

"I know, I know. I saw Freya in the shopping centre and practically had to cut her dead in case that could be considered out of the conditions. My mother went round to apologise for me."

"Freya was fine, Nimueh saw her on Tuesday and got that assurance. You cannot deal with any of your patients, except Merlin. You can still visit him."

"That's for him not me, isn't it."

"Yes, I made them consider Merlin's welfare, but they also care about yours. I don't think that a conditional caution is such a bad thing. I think you need to be settled and happy before you start work again. The hospital board are fine with that."

"What happens when you think I'm better?"

Then I will speak to them regarding your return. And no, you won't be able to get round me," Gaius warned him. "That is the reason I am taking on some of the cases, to help Nimueh with the work load. It's easier now Vivian had moved to an outpatient status. She seems to be moving on well now she's involved with that Leon chap that works with your father."

"How's her father taking it?"

"Well, enough we think. He can't argue with someone who takes his daughter out to lunch as regularly as he does."

Arthur grinned. "He also got her a job in the press department, as a researcher. My father told me."

"They did seem very impressed with her research skills."

"Without her they wouldn't have found the last boy. Unfortunately not alive."

"At least the boy's parents have some closure. From what the police now believe there are possibly more, and until they follow up the leads they keep finding there are parents who still have no idea what might have happened," Gaius said. "Did Merlin respond today?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, I think I really did some damage to him."

"You don't know that. I arranged for another scan, just to check if there had been any significant change, especially since Nimueh had shed an entirely different perspective on it. As far as I can tell his brain functions are exactly the same as they were prior to that. Which means more than likely you didn't do anything to him."

"I don't know which is worse," Arthur said glumly. "Because that sort of indicates that he isn't going to recover."

"Stop making assumptions."

"It is the most logical conclusion though, isn't it?"

Gaius didn't answer directly; instead he looked down and shuffled the papers on his desk about, clearing some out of the way and opening a notepad. The lack of response was enough of an answer in Arthur's mind. But he didn't understand why Merlin now refused to even draw for him.

"How are you sleeping now?" Gaius asked, changing the subject.

"Better, I'm still having the odd nightmare but I'm trying not to use the sleeping pills. I only do if I have to."

"Good and you feel all right, no panic attacks or adverse reactions?"

"None, I'm never going to say I'm sorry for what I did either. Although I wouldn't say that to just anyone."

"How are you coping with the press?"

Arthur shrugged. "It's not too bad. Dad said I just probably need to wait for them to get bored. Something else will come up to divert their attention soon enough. Everyone seems to be on my side."

"That does not make killing people the answer."

"I wouldn't ordinarily argue with you. I've dealt with people who had thought that. But all things considered, I don't think there was anything else I could have done."

"Did they really explain what they were doing? You haven't really been very clear on that."

"Morgause said something about me; that I was perfect for what she wanted. She used the word 'empathic'."

"The ability to psychically pick up on people's emotions. You do rather have an innate ability to read people's mood and respond accordingly. And you had no problems establishing a connection with Merlin."

"None, he even spoke."

"When was this?"

"Facing Morgause. He didn't physically do it himself, I felt something, something of Merlin pass through me. He spoke using me."

"What did he say?"

"You're not taking Arthur from me," Arthur repeated the words. "I heard myself say it, but it wasn't me saying it, if you understand what I mean."

"I think so."

"He helped me as well, I felt someone, something, at the time, guiding me when I fought Cenred. I didn't really think about it at the time, but in hindsight, and it was just after Merlin spoke that I stabbed Morgause. I wasn't really thinking about killing her, I just wanted to protect Merlin."

"You didn't tell the police this did you?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, I didn't want them involving Merlin, and bringing up all the psychic stuff. The scene of crime mob would have found my prints all over the metal and the wooden block I used. Saying anything more seemed pointless. They could have even assumed I was just diverting the blame. It was better that I took it all."

"Considering some of the previous evidence Arthur, it might not have been considered all that bizarre."

"I didn't want Merlin dragged into it. I had enough time to think that perhaps it was easier this way. Merlin's had quite enough."

"Do you think though, Arthur, that it might have been Merlin and not you acting against Morgause?"

Arthur's jaw tensed. "I wanted to kill her. I remember being frightened, when it came to Cenred, when we fought. But I'd met him before, and he was intimidating," Arthur confessed with a huff. "And when he touched me..."

Arthur tailed off with a shudder.

"That seemed more frightening than dealing with Morgause?" Gaius asked.

"A little. More than a little. I worried that he could easily overpower me, I didn't worry so much about her, I just felt that..." Arthur bit down on his lip, seriously considering what he meant. "It didn't seem an issue, it was just what I needed to do."

"You did that after Merlin used you to speak. It occurs to me killing Morgause was not you. That could have been Merlin alone, still in control of you."

"Merlin didn't do anything."

"Yet you just said that he spoke through you, and that perhaps he helped you though the fights. What makes you think that anyway?"

"I think he can move things as well as pass thoughts on. We know he can draw but silly things, Kilgharrah sort of shifting position, that reporter's camera slamming against the bedpost. Just silly things that we didn't really take as anything seriously. He could see over distances, so why couldn't he move objects close by."

"Why not indeed? Until we get something clear on that then I would say you did the right thing by keeping that to yourself. The CPS gave you a conditional caution on the evidence that you gave and from what they found on the scene. You had clearly fought with Cenred, the only sticking point was Morgause, because she didn't fight on a physical level."

"And you think Merlin used me to defeat her."

"I don't see why not considering what you are saying. And then take it a step further. You have done what you needed to do and you broke the connection between him and Morgause."

"You don't need to remind me of that."

"But you also said, she wanted you. Merlin is stronger, more unusual than any of the other boys. He was connected to that woman, and someone that wanted you. So much so that she came out of hiding to get you. At least we found out how that happened."

Arthur gave a short, humourless laugh. "One of the simplest explanations in the world."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

After much advice seeking he had broken the habit of a lifetime. He felt a little self-conscious walking into the police station and saying.

"I want to speak to Uther Pendragon."

The officer who had come to speak to him regarded him with some surprise but eventually asked.

"And it's regarding?"

"I'm not telling you, but I know he'll want to hear it."

He had been kept in an uncomfortable room, although someone had thought to bring him a coffee, until a good looking man with annoyingly well groomed hair came in to talk to him.

"Hi, I'm Gwaine. You have some information. Mr..."

"I do, but I want to speak to DCS Pendragon. It's regarding his son Arthur. I know how he was kidnapped."

"We can't contact DCS Pendragon but bear with us," Gwaine said. He went to the door and put his head out. "Call Bayard will you, Morgana! By the sound of it we need him to follow this up!"

Gwaine shut the door and turned back, coming to sit down opposite him.

"DCS Pendragon has been removed from certain aspects of the case, since Arthur is his son. Those parts have been passed onto DCI Bayard, we'll let him know. He's tying up a few loose ends for us and should be with us shortly. I can start a formal interview if you wish to make any comments. Or I can get you some water, or tea... or anything..."

"Tea, thank you." He regarded the coffee in his mug with distaste. "I hate coffee."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"This is part of a serious investigation, so we do need to record it," Bayard said.

"That's fine," he said.

"You have some information about Arthur Pendragon."

"I think I... I walked past the car park and saw them. He looked really spaced out, she was trying to get him into a car, a big jeep thing. It looked a bit silly for someone her size. I went over and she asked me for help."

"In what way?" Bayard asked.

"She said her brother had had some sort of fit. He looked almost unconscious, and she said she had to take him home."

"Can you confirm the identities of the two people? For the tape I am showing a series of photographs," Bayard said, shuffling the photographs about.

"Her, she was the one, and he was the bloke."

"The interviewee has picked out Arthur Pendragon and the woman known as Morgause. Did she ask you for help?"

"No, I saw her struggling and went over, I though it was my good deed for the day."

"She claimed the victim was suffering from a fit?"

"Yes, she said it came on suddenly and he had called her for help. She said he was her brother, they both had blond hair and I... I didn't think anything of it... I didn't think that he was being kidnapped! She had a jeep with her, it was parked next to his car. When I said I could help she just asked for it putting him into the backseat. She could manage from there, lock his car up and let other family members know. I got the impression she was used to dealing with it, that it wasn't the first time it had happened to him."

"Did you stay to help her shut the car up? Did you see her lock the door of the blue VW Beetle?"

"No, she said she would do it, and she went as if to do so, checking around the car. I went away I just thought, she didn't really want that much help. I was trying to be helpful, now I find that I might be doing just the opposite. You don't think that if you go over to help that you assume that there is a kidnap or any sort of crime going on. If people find that out, no one in the world will ever perform a good deed."

"Quite true," Bayard sighed. "But you did one today. I need you just to wait to sign some paperwork and make sure we have your details, we may need to call you back just for clarification."

"I won't be charged with anything will I? I'm not an accessory to the crime or anything am I?"

"No, you've given us a good lead, and your information has been very helpful."

"That's good to know. I only wanted to help."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"It validated the kidnap. It might be a way that they took several of the boys. Morgause looking harmless, with someone looking ill or injured. If people think they are helping they are not likely to go into a background check."

Arthur clenched his teeth. "It could have happened this way, at least with the two boys Morgause took herself."

"And with you, a sister struggling with her brother, who she claimed had suffered some kind of fit. She had to wait for the right person to come along."

"Not necessarily Gaius, she can manipulate emotions, and maybe not just her own. If I had some sense left I would have wanted help. Merlin used me, she could have too."

"In which case we can walk into a world of endless speculation. I don't think you should allow your mind to go there. In this case, you need to deal with the reality of what you have done, and what is happening now. To go into any further kind of speculation, it will tear you apart Arthur. You'll spend your time looking for an answer that you cannot find."

"But if that's what might have happened to others?"

"The police are aware of it. It is not your job Arthur, and you will not get any closure from pursuing it. Your father's team can take that on board, you can't do that part of it. Arthur, you will drive yourself insane if you try, and that is not what I am going to let you do."

Arthur locked his right hand around his left wrist, his hand tightening and his hand started to ache under the pressure.

"Arthur, are you still having the nightmares?" Gaius asked returning to the original subject. Arthur jerked his head up.

"I told you I wasn't taking the sleeping pills as much, that it wasn't so bad."

"I never asked if it was bad or good, I just asked if you were still having the nightmares."

"Sometimes, and it's still not over killing anyone. I think I do that sometimes, but I know I'm dreaming, or at least I know it's not entirely real. The worst ones are when I can't reach Merlin, I'm trying to find him and he's just not there."

"How do you mean not there? What is the dream about? Is it clear?"

Arthur shrugged. "Sometimes it's very clear. I'm in the building, or something like it, and I'm looking for him. I keep thinking I see him or know where he is and when I get there, he's not there. In others I'm so close, but I can't seem to get hold of him. It's as if he's insubstantial."

"That seems quite close to how you are feeling now," Gaius said. "It's praying on your mind that you cannot reach him, and he's not responding to you."

"I guess, it's frustrating. I just wish I could get one sign, even the smallest of things to tell me that he's still there."

"Give it time Arthur. It's the same thing you need. You should know that."

Arthur huffed. "I know all the advice, I hate having to take it."

"Psychiatrist heal thyself," Gaius murmured

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur felt something little short of relief when he felt well enough to drive his own car. That didn't stop either of his extremely strangely behaved parents from fussing over him. And finally, three weeks later, although he still couldn't deal with any patients, he was allowed to at least work again. Gaius had enough admin to deal with that Arthur could help pick up the slack. A government scandal had knocked Arthur and Merlin's story off the front page. The press couldn't really get any more mileage from it, everything had gone back to normal, Arthur still hailed as something of a hero. He didn't feel like one, because of Merlin, and the way he had been since the incident, Arthur felt that he had somehow failed.

In a session with Gaius he had half voice concerns that it was Morgause who had been controlling Merlin, but she wouldn't have helped him the way Merlin had. Everyone was slowly beginning to accept that perhaps Merlin was too far gone, and always had been, to recover.

Everyone except Arthur. His stubborn Pendragon side refused to give into that, consciously or sub-consciously. Even in his dreams he tried fighting to get through to Merlin, although he couldn't always control it, sometimes if he was rousing and knew he was dreaming he tried to manipulate what he was seeing. The only problem was he woke before he really got anywhere.

His car gave a little jerk as his foot slipped, the sudden ringing of his phone making him jump. It lay on the passenger seat next to him. Arthur gave it a vague glance and then looked back to the road, briefly glancing in his rear view mirror. Six cars were trundling along the road behind him, and on the slightly narrow road Arthur could not risk pulling over. Certainly not since the Indian summer they had been blessed with had turned into a very dismal October. Although the rain had temporarily let up people were still driving carefully on the roads.

There was a little area were you could pull in on a bend, but Arthur was only five minutes from the hospital, he could at least wait until then. It didn't even occur to him to answer it as he drove, both his father and his mother had drilled into him what a bad idea that was.

It was something Arthur agreed with, so he couldn't, on some bizarre principle that floated around in his mind, answer it.

The temptation grew since, as he pulled into the driveway of the hospital, it shrilled again. Arthur swung into his space, parking carefully before turning off the engine and he gathered up his lunchbox and his now quiet phone before getting out of the car. He winced as his knee ached slightly, still not entirely happy about the pressure of driving but he was not about to let on to anyone about that. For the short while he had been laid up he had missed the independence of his little car, which he was not swapping for anything.

As he hobbled to the door, carefully checking that no one could see him while he loosened up his knee joint, he noted Hunith's car already parked in a visitor space. Arthur knew she had planned to visit that morning, wanting to discuss the possibility of perhaps in the long term moving Merlin back home, for her to care for. Arthur hadn't commented at the time, feeling that perhaps even she was giving up on her son's recovery. Or maybe she was just more accepting of the situation than he was.

Pressing the button on his phone he rang through to pick up the messages as he wandered through the doorway. He frowned as he looked around, no one sat at the reception desk, and it seemed rather quiet, usually by now people were moving around. Arthur picked up the pen, signing into the visitors book, as he was required to do for the time being, while he listened to the first message.

"It's Bayard. I just thought I would update you, as we can now wrap up the case, almost. We followed up from what the witness to your kidnapping said regarding the two boys Morgause took. It would appear her damsel in distress ploy worked more than once. Quite effectively."

And not just that, Arthur thought to himself, she had the ability to twist people's emotions, to use them as she wanted, siphoning off what she needed. No doubt that was part of it too, but Bayard didn't need to know that. He could happily tie off the loose ends as required.

"Your father will probably tell you," Bayard's voice continued as Arthur made his way upstairs to search out Merlin, and Hunith. "But the investigation will stay open somewhat, since we cannot rule out the possibility of further victims. There are some anomalous DNA samples from various crime scenes but unless we learn something very concrete I doubt that will ever be laid entirely to rest."

Arthur gritted his teeth, not really hearing the rest of the message as Bayard gave some general enquires about Arthur's health before signing off. Arthur headed into the residential area as he fiddled with his phone to pick up the second message, which appeared as he heard the beginning, to come from Lancelot.

Whatever Lancelot said Arthur didn't hear, although the tone sounded urgent. Instead he frowned as he heard the sound of several voices coming from, he eventually realised, Merlin's room. Arthur turned the phone off and increased his speed as he walked towards the room. Four steps from the threshold he almost recoiled as the volume increased and a figure barrelled out of the door, slamming straight into Arthur. Arthur inhaled sharply and the figure recoiled. They would have pulled away but Arthur dropped his phone, letting it thud onto the carpet - which really needed replacing, but no one had thought to get around to it - and he reached out to grab them.

His hand locked around a wrist, by instinct he reached for that, gripping gently but not allowing them to get away. He pulled them back close and rubbing the inside of the slim arm he felt the tension and then relaxation of the muscles. He looked into a pair of blue eyes, crystal clear in clarity and focusing distinctly on his face.

Arthur's breath caught in his throat as he met the gaze, staring in shock as they locked eyes for the first time.

"Arthur." The voice low, shocked but there was a flicker of a smile on his lips. At the tone Arthur felt his knees turn to jelly, and he changed his grip, sliding his hand down to lace his fingers with those of someone he knew so well, speaking in shock as he exhaled.

"Merlin."

**Alright it's the conclusion of this story, which has always been the point I would end it, but nobody kill me just yet! I will write a sequel. My plan is to finish, or at least get further along, with some other stories before I start it, but this is me sooo... might happen sooner than that, since I already know where I plan to go with this...**


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